Wren and the Machine
by HexBunny
Summary: Wren is the newest Hunter in the Tower, but she isn't ready for the life she's been thrown into. In her journey to push back the Darkness, she'll learn about love, loss, and the bonds between Guardians. Follow Wren in this reimagining of the Destiny campaign as she faces down the enemies of Humanity, proves her worth to the Hunter Vanguard, and maybe some ramen along the way.
1. Chapter 1

"Eyes up Guardian!"

The first words she'd hear in her new life. Glowing blue eyed fluttered open, hurt at first by the bright light of day as she struggled to focus on her own hands. A small machine hovered before her but before she could say a word it explained that they were in danger and they needed to move.

"I don't understand," she began, taking in the world around her from the rusted cars that cluttered the crumbling bridge, to the wall that stood to her right.

"It worked, you're alive! You don't know how long I've been looking for you. I'm a Ghost. Actually, now I'm your Ghost. And you... Well, you've been dead a long time, so you're going to see a lot of things you won't understand."

In the distance an alien scream echoed across the sandy plains, reverberating from the walls of dilapidated buildings that surrounded them. A chill ran through her body at the sound, a fleeting memory passing too quickly for her to catch it.

"This is Fallen territory, we aren't safe here. I have to get you to the City. Hold still," he said, disappearing before her eyes. "Don't worry, I'm still with you. We need to move. Fast. We won't survive long out in the open like this. Let's get inside the wall."

Together they ran for the wall, crows cawing loudly as they scattered into the sky. Black feathers and sand kicked up as the guardian passed, stretching her legs for the first time. Had she not been confused and disoriented she might have relished the feel of stretching her muscles.

"Okay, I need to find you a weapon before the Fallen find us."

They passed through a broken door into what she thought was safety, only to be hushed immediately by her Ghost.

"Quiet they're right above us," the Ghost said in a hushed tone.

Overhead she could hear heavy footfalls and voices talking in a language she didn't understand. She glanced back to where they had come in, every fiber of her being wanting to bolt for the light of day but it wasn't an option. They had to keep moving.

Further into the darkness she walked, the Ghost floating over her shoulder and lighting her path as they wound through the facility. Rusty, broken steps groaned beneath her and sometimes she could swear she caught a glimpse of something moving just outside the light.

"Feels like a trap," she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

The narrow hallway opened up to a larger area and her Ghost materialized once more.

"Hang tight, Fallen thrive in the dark. We won't. We need more light, I'll see what I can do," the Ghost said. "Another one of these hardened military systems, and a few centuries of entropy working against me," he muttered moments before the lights flashed on one by one and alien creatures, she assumed the Fallen, scattered like roaches into the darkness.

"They're coming for us! Here I found a rifle. Grab it!"

The guardian snatched it up, feeling much better to have a weapon in her hands. Something about it felt so familiar and yet, as the memory before, it faded like a dream and she couldn't pinpoint why there was a sense of familiarity.

"I hope you know how to use that thing," the Ghost said.

"I think I do," she replied, her tone not as certain as she'd hoped it'd be.

"Eyes forward. Watch your tracker," he reminded her.

There didn't seem to be anything ahead but still she gripped the rifle tightly, preparing herself for battle.

Quickly but cautiously the guardian made her way through the wall, jumping back as a chain supporting one of the overhead lights snapped, sending the heavy metal fixture swinging toward her. She took a moment to catch her breath, listening into the darkness for enemies before stepping around the flashing light and moving toward a bridge. Red fabric with strange symbols hung around the opposite wall, framing the end of the bridge like a tunnel but before she could inquire about them, a monster jumped out at her from the shadows.

In mere moments the creature lay dead at her feet, it's knife falling loose from it's strange hand. Her heart beat furiously in her ears as she stared down at the thing, rifle still pointed at where it's head had once been but now was nothing more than flesh and bone protruding from its shoulders. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it as her Ghost spoke.

"There's more ahead! Keep it up!" he said, expanding in confidence. At least one of them thought she'd make it through alive.

The guardian passed under the strange banners and onto a platform but before she got too far her Ghost stopped her again. His voice in her ear pointed out a chest but she was wary of opening it. In her mind, everything could be a trap.

"A loot cache! Let's see what's inside..."

Overall it was a good call. She found a shotgun and a few shells for it but not much else. She didn't want to waste any time rifling through the rest of the Fallen junk in the chest. Cautiously she eased into a hallway lit by a strange red glow. Lasers crisscrossed down the length of the hall, stopping her in her tracks.

"Tripmines! Don't touch them," her Ghost warned.

Down the hall she could see shadows moving. "I'm guessing that's more Fallen?" she whispered, glancing over at her Ghost. It nodded once, and she took a few steps back around the corner. "Look out," she warned, taking aim at one of the trip mines.

Her ears rang loudly as the mines exploded, sending shrapnel flying past her. The Fallen screamed, then it all fell silent. Slowly she peeked around the corner into the hall, dust and debris settling from the blasts. Two bodies lay motionless and she knew her plan had worked but it wasn't the end to them. The further she went into the wall, the more Dregs and Vandals there were. She couldn't say she was getting used to killing them, but it didn't give her the sick feeling the way the first one had. It was them or her, and she couldn't pity creatures that wanted her dead.

"The Fallen have a tighter hold on this place than I thought. Just a little bit further. Let's hope there's something left out there...," the Ghost said, zooming ahead down a huge tunnel where giant fan blades spun lazily in the breeze. Water splashed with every step the guardian made toward the light, but she no longer cared about the noise. Light was ahead, and she was going for it.

"This was an old Cosmodrome. There's got to be something we could fly out here."

Her hand blocked the harsh sun as she stepped out into an area very much like the one they had just come from on the other side of the wall. Abandoned buildings, rusty barrels, and an old tank adored the small field but before she could step out all the way a flare launched across the way.

"Incoming!" the Ghost said as Fallen ships appeared overhead. "Fallen ships! This close to the surface?! Move!

The guardian didn't have to be told twice. She ran as fast as she could across the field, Fallen flanking her right size, forcing her into another building far to her left. Dregs and Shanks clogged up the doorway, taking shots at her as she approached. She gritted her teeth and fired, bits and pieces of the Shanks raining down around her, pelting her as she ran past.

An arc round from a shock pistol slammed into her shoulder, sending her to her knees. Pain flashed through her body, pushing her adrenaline to the limit. She stood shakily once they were all dead, rolling her shoulder until the shock subsided enough to continue.

"I'm picking up signs of an old jumpship. Could be our ticket out of here.," the Ghost said as they rounded the corner into a small hanger. "There's a ship! Clear them out!"

A Fallen Captain stood on the wing of the ship, Dregs pacing the floor beneath him. When they notice the guardian they began yelling to each other in their language, rushing to take cover behind crates and debris. They opened fire on her, arc rounds crackling in the air. The Captain raised himself to full height on the wing of the ship, it's four arms raised in a challenging stance. The guardian wasted no time firing at the Captain, bullets sinking into its body. Black blood spattered across the wing of the ship and the alien roared, falling to the ground below.

The guardian dodged behind a column as the Captain opened fire, chipping away at the concrete formations edges with his shrapnel launcher. She could hear him charging toward her and she took her chance, rolling away from the column and firing at the Captain's head. Shrapnel lodged in the armor of her boots and bolts of arc energy sent clods of dirt up all around her.

She took cover behind a crate, leaning out to shoot Dregs while also avoiding the Captain who had retreated toward the ship. The creature was heavily wounded, blood pouring out into the earth and metal at his feet but he wasn't giving in and neither was she.

Dregs fell one by one but he ammo was getting low. She only had a handful of bullets left to down the Captain once and for all. She exhaled shakily, pushing her breath between her lips in an attempt to calm herself before spinning out from behind the crate and firing on the Captain. He dodged out of the way, teleporting several feet away.

The guardian shifted her aim and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. The rifle was out of ammo and useless to her. At first a sense of panic boiled up into her throat but her adrenaline kept her moving. She tossed away the rifle, her fingers wrapped around the handle of her knife and she charged the weakened Captain, slicing the Fallen open in one swift movement.

She stood panting over the dead body, black blood dripping from her blade to be soaked into the earth at her feet. Hands shaking she wiped the blood off on a tuft of grass before sheathing it while her Ghost inspected the ship.

Alright, let me see if I can get us out of here. It's been here a while. Hasn't made a jump in centuries. We're lucky the Fallen haven't completely picked it clean," he admitted.

"Will it fly?" she asked, picking up the discarded rifle and slinging it over her shoulder.

"I can make it work. Okay... it's not going to break orbit, but it just might get us to the City. Now… about that transmat... Bringing you in!"

"The city?" she asked, tilting her head. The Ghost never got a chance to answer. Behind her a Fallen even bigger than the Captain emerged from a tunnel in the wall. She backed away from it, pulling her knife out once more. Killing a weakened Captain with a knife was one thing, but she wasn't so sure she could hold her own against this new enemy. Luckily, she didn't have to. Her Ghost pulled through with the transmat just in time.

"We can come back for them when you're ready. Let's get you home," he said, taking control of the ship to take them to the Last City. She peered back from where they had come and the shrinking Cosmodrone behind them. Whatever she was, whoever she was, lay behind her now. Something new was coming and she didn't know if she was ready for it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The Tower was impressive, looming high over the Last City. Dusk was upon them and as far as she could see lights dotted the scenery below. The Traveler was a wonder it itself, reflecting the golden glow of the city in its white surface. Above stars shone brightly in the fading light of day but there was no time to enjoy it.

"C'mon. I have to take you to the Vanguard," Ghost explained, leading the way across the small courtyard and down a set of stairs.

The guardian followed, taking in the sights and sounds around her. To her right a man, at least a couple heads taller than her, stood in full armor, his helmet adorned in bull horns. He spoke in a deep booming voice to a few smaller men around him who seemed enraptured by his stories of something called the Crucible.

"Keep up," Ghost urged, and the guardian trotted to join him at the entrance to a large control room with a table in the middle. Three people spoke amongst themselves but upon seeing the guardian at the top of the stairs the man at the far end raised a hand to quiet them.

"A new guardian?" he asked and the other two turned their attention to her as well.

The woman raised a brow, the hint of a smile curving her full lips as the man across from her crossed his arms over his chest with a curious tilt of his head. The guardian paused for a fraction of a second when she realized the man was no man at all but a robot with glowing blue eyes and a horn sticking out of his forehead.

"Yes, Commander Zavala. I found her in the Cosmodrone," Ghost explained, leading the way down the stairs.

"I see," Zavala said, motioning the guardian nearer. The guardian passed behind the robot, giving him a wide berth as she approached Zavala. He gave her a once over and she felt the eyes of everyone in the room on her. "I'm Zavala, Titan Vanguard. Ikora and Cayde-6 are over the Warlocks and the Hunters," he explained, motioning to the other two at the table. "Well, let's get you sorted into a class and get you outfitted."

"I've seen her fight," Ghost chimed in. "I think she'd make an excellent Hunter."

"Very well. Welcome to our ranks, Hunter. Tell me, what's your name?" Zavala asked, puffing up his chest.

A name? She hadn't had time to consider a name. Her cheeks flushed red, eyes cast down to the floor. It would be too embarrassing to admit she had no name but what choice did she have? "I don't have one."

"It's alright. Guardians don't remember who they were before their death. Take your time and find a name that suits you," Ikora said, sensing the girl's discomfort.

"Oh, can I name this one?" Cayde chimed in. "I've always wanted to name a Hunter."

Ikora cut her eyes at the Hunter Vanguard as if to warn him but he ignored her.

The guardian turned to face him, mouth open to speak, but the words wouldn't come to her. She had no ideas for a name just yet and she didn't trust a stranger to name her, but he was so excited it was hard to tell him no.

"How about Wren? You know, like the little bird?" he suggested with great enthusiasm.

"You don't have to let him name you," Ikora said, planting her hands on her hips. The name wasn't bad; it was actually much better than she'd been expecting from him, but their new guardian seemed to be a little on the quiet side and she didn't want her to feel railroaded into a name she didn't like.

"It's okay," the guardian said. "I can't think of anything anyway."

"Good! Wren it is," Cayde said, clapping his hands together. Wren could swear that his robotic face looked pleased. "Let's get you some better gear and a cloak and you'll be all set."

"Don't take too long Cayde. The Speaker will want to meet her soon," Zavala said as Cayde motioned Wren to follow him.

"Yeah yeah," he waved over his shoulder. "You hungry, kid? You gotta be hungry. I mean, you haven't eaten in like… 500 years. What say we go get some food? I know this great little ramen shop. You like spicy ramen? I guess you wouldn't know that."

Wren stared at him, blinking, as he rambled on. What on earth was he talking about? His eyes met hers and she knew she must have had a look on her face because he chuckled and shook his head.

"Sorry. I don't get out of that control room enough. We're Hunters, you and me. We don't belong caged up in here. We're meant to be out there, beyond the City walls with a Sparrow between our knees and wind in our cloaks."

"Sparrow?"

"Oh yeah, no Sparrow yet. Trust me, kid, you're gonna love it," he said as they entered the Vault.

Wren stood in awe at the massive room; rows upon rows of helmets, boots, chest pieces, and gauntlets. Weapons of every type hung up on the walls, tags dangling from their trigger guards. Chests were pushed against the walls on all sides and each was labeled according to its contents. Cayde-6 poked through some crates and walked the isles picking up gear as he went before finally returning to Wren.

"This is the Vault. We keep all our gear here when we're not using it. Everything's labeled and organized so you don't have to worry about losing your stuff. Sorry I don't have anything better for you but you'll find plenty of stuff out there in the wilds," he explained. "What type of gun do you want? I'm surprised that rifle you're carrying got you though any sort of battle. You should turn it over to our gunsmith, Banshee, before you take it out there again. Hate for you to end up with your head on a pike because your gun jammed."

"Go ahead, Wren. Find something you like," Ghost said.

"What about that one?" she asked, pointing to an unlabeled gun beside Cayde's head.

"Hand cannon? A woman after my own heart," he said, pulling it down and twirling it in his hand before shoving it in his empty holster. "It's got some nice weight and it'll get you through, but I would keep my eyes open for something better," he said. "You go ahead and get changed and I'll take your rifle and this hand cannon to ol' Banshee. Just leave your old gear on that bench back there so it can be fixed up and used later."

"Thank you," Wren said, arms full of the gear he'd handed over.

"No problem, Dove," he said, leaving her alone in the Vault.

"Dove?" she asked, glancing up at her Ghost. "I thought it was Wren?"

"You'll have to ignore Cayde sometimes," he said dryly. "He likes to play around a lot."

"I see. He's a talker," she grinned, ducking into a side room to strip off her old gear.

"That's an understatement," Ghost chuckled.

Wren laid her gear on the bench, straightening her new cloak before catching a glimpse of herself in a broken mirror. Wavy black hair framed her face, contrasting against her pale blue skin. Black paint streaked her face around her eyes, accentuating their vibrant blue. She felt confused and a little afraid, but she looked like a warrior. What was she doing? Everything was happening so fast. A few hours ago, she'd been dead; just a skeleton laying in a car somewhere in the Cosmodrone. Now she was a guardian? What did that even mean? Her stomach rolled, and she covered her face with her hands, pressing her palms into her eyes and exhaling shakily.

"Are you alright, Wren?" Ghost asked, hovering before her.

"I need some air," she said, stepping back out onto the courtyard. Banners fluttered gently in the breeze from a ship that had docked nearby. It helped to ease her stomach some, but her nerves were still on edge. She had so many questions about this world she had been brought back into. Why was this the only last safe place? What was the Traveler and what did it mean to be a guardian? Was she worthy of it? Could she even do what they wanted from her?

"C'mon kid, let's go get some ramen," Cayde said, rubbing his hands together as he trotted toward her but a stern voice from across the courtyard stopped him in his tracks.

"Cayde, get that Hunter to the Speaker ASAP," Zavala ordered.

"Dammit," Cayde huffed. "We've been caught.

"It's alright. If you need to get back, I'm sure Ghost can show me the way," Wren said.

"And go back now? No way. I'm taking advantage of any little bit of freedom I can get," Cayde said. "Besides, if we're lucky the Speaker won't take long and we can get dinner."

"Is food all you can think about?" Wren asked, immediately regretting the words as she blurted them out. "Sorry, that came out wrong."

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, throwing out an arm to stop her when he noticed the shaking of her hands. It was hard for him to tell when the color left the face of an Awoken, but she did look paler than she had before.

"I'm fine," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but the Speaker will explain everything. Just relax, okay?" he said, giving her a hearty pat on the shoulder. "It's going to be fine. Now get in there," he said, pushing her toward the bridge that connected the main walk of the North Tower to the observatory where the Speaker waited. He watched her go, peeking over her shoulder to see if he was still there, her blue eyes glowing in the dim light. He flashed her a thumbs up and she disappeared around the corner. She needed encouragement but seeing the fear in her eyes, he wasn't so sure the Ghost had made the right choice. Only time would tell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Wren left the Speaker feeling physically calmer than she had going in but her mind was even more overwhelmed. There was a lot on her as a Guardian and she didn't know if she was ready for it. She surely didn't want it, as selfish as that sounded.

"How'd it go?" Cayde asked, pushing himself off a wall nearby.

"Okay," she shrugged.

He blinked and nodded slowly. "Let's go get some ramen then. I have some guys I want you to meet."

Wren followed silently as he led her down from the top of the Tower. They wound through streets and for a time Wren forgot about he duties in the bustle of the city.

People shouted and laughed, going about their day as if the world outside the wall wasn't deadly. Smoke from food stalls filled the air with the smell of meats, cakes, and spices that made Wren's stomach growl. They wove between people at the market stalls, passing under colorful cloth and chimes that hung over the marketplace.

"Keep up, Pidgeon," Cayde called over his shoulder to her, waving to people he knew as they passed.

Wren picked up her pace and stayed close to him, aware that one wrong move and she could be lost in the sea of people. Ghost flickered around, always staying within sight but floating around curiously until he caught sight of the ramen shop Cayde was talking about.

"There it is," he said, hovering over her shoulder.

A giant red, white, and blue neon dragon hovered over a neon bowl of ramen on the side of a building. Across the front of the shop hung red noren with symbols she didn't recognize. Cayde pushed them aside, holding it open for her to pass through.

"This is the best ramen shop in the whole City," he said, puffing out his chest.

"You're welcome," said a cheerful voice from nearby.

Wren turned to see a tall, broad Exo with bright saffron eyes and matching paint streaked across his face.

"He only knows about this place because we told him," said the other man, a shorter lanky Awoken with snow white hair and strange eyes. The right was golden and natural looking for their kind, but the left was streaked cyan and purple and something about it seemed artificial.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up and get us a table," Cayde said as the Exo slapped him on the back. As they walked away, he turned his attention back to Wren. "Warlocks. Don't turn your back on em' they'll eat your food when you're not looking."

"Who are they?"

"The tall one's Beorn. The other one's Fransrick."

"Fransrick?"

"Yeah I named him," Cayde said with a little chuckle. "He had a different name, but he lost a bet and I got to rename him. Isn't it great?"

Wren glanced at Ghost who made an opening and closing movement similar to a shrug.

Beorn waved them over to a table in the corner and Wren followed Cayde a little more closely than she meant to, bumping into him when he suddenly stopped. He peered over his shoulder at her, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"You're a Hunter, kid. Don't apologize; tell me to move," Cayde said, waiting for her to speak but when she didn't he turned away and sat down, patting the bench beside him.

"So who's the girl?" the Awoken asked.

"Wren," she said before Cayde could answer with some other silly bird name.

"I named her," he beamed.

"Couldn't have given me something other than Fransrick?"

"You lost a bet; she didn't."

"Speaking of bets, don't you owe us two bowls of ramen a piece?" Beorn said, motioning to himself and Frans.

"Hey now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Cayde said, putting his hands up defensively.

"You're broke again aren't you?" Beorn asked.

"What? Me? No!" Cayde sputtered. "But I do have this bet with Holliday, so I'm limited."

"How much glimmer do you have to lose to her to get the point?"

"Whatever let's just get some food," Frans said, calling over a waitress.

They took the liberty of ordering for Wren, who sat quietly, listening to them as they insisted on which dish was best before firing off into tales of their recent adventures. Except for Cayde, who told them of times before he was Vanguard. But Wren said nothing.

Eventually a bowl of steaming noodles with strips of beef, halves of eggs, and scallions in a red soup that promised to be as spicy as they said it would be. Cayde passed around some chop sticks but Wren didn't know what to do with them.

"Hold em' like this," he said, positioning her hand properly before demonstrating how to use them.

She caught on quickly, but the first bite made her nose run and the others thought it was humorous. Still, she liked it more than she thought she would and continued to eat while the others chatted.

After nearly an hour she found herself picking at the dregs at the bottom of her bowl, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"Well, it's time I get Sparrow here back to the Tower. They should have a room for her by now," Cayde said, paying for both of their meals. "C'mon kid."

"Sparrow?" Frans asked. "Thought it was Wren?"

"It is," she replied before flipping up the cowl of her cloak against the chill outside.

Fransrick walked beside her back toward the Tower, pointing out shops and telling her what they sold, the pair of them following a few paces behind Beorn and Cayde. Wren wasn't sure how much of what he told her she would remember but she was getting a view of the world she had been brought back to protect.

It seemed to take much longer to get back to the Tower than it had to get down to the ramen shop and by the time Cayde opened the door to her room, she was practically dragging her feet. He flipped on the light and revealed a small room with a bed pushed against the wall. Fresh blankets were folded neatly at the foot of the bed on top of a trunk. Shelves were built into the opposite wall as well was a wardrobe. Across from the door was a simple desk and a window that spanned nearly the entire wall with heavy black curtains pulled tight.

"She's all yours," Cayde said, dropping the key in her hand. "Get some rest, Guardian. I'll need you bright and early."

"Of course," she said quietly.

Cayde closed the door, leaving her alone and for the first time since she was awakened in that dusty field, there was silence. She crossed the room and opened the curtains, revealing a breathtaking view of the Last City.

Below lights spread out in the bowl created by the wall and a dividing line of darkness split it from the stars overhead. Still the City outshined the night sky, glowing with a golden warmth that made her feel like home.

"It's been a long first day," Ghost said. "What do you think so far?"

"I don't know what to think."

"I meant what I said to the Speaker. I know I made the right choice with you."

Wren didn't answer. She stared at him for a moment before letting her gaze fall away. She didn't feel that he had made a good choice in her. Guardians were supposed to be strong. They were supposed to be warriors and Wren… she was no warrior. In silence she made the bed, abandoning her armor in a heap on the floor. She curled up into the blankets, warm and safe, giving in to exhaustion at last.


	4. Chapter 4

Dawn came and went but Wren hadn't left her room. She stood in her armor, helmet tucked under her arm a she stared out the window over the city below. Ghost had been quietly hovering, but she had a feeling that he was looking for the right words to say. He opened and closed, flashed his light between her and the view outside before finally settling on something to start with.

"You don't have to be a Guardian," he said. "It's your choice."

"I don't know if I'm strong enough for this. Those people down there depend on the Guardians to keep them safe and what if… what if I can't do that?"

"Wren, I chose you because I felt something great in you. I won't make you try if you don't want to; but I will say that you won't know what you're capable of if you don't give it a shot. And I'll be there with you every step of the way."

"I know you will. Hey… do Ghosts have names?"

"Of course," he said, perking up a bit. "It'd be confusing if everyone ran around shouting 'Ghost' all the time. Cayde's is Sundance, Beorn and Fransrick's are Ziro and Vira."

"Do you have anything in mind?"

"No, I'm sure whatever you choose will be great."

He said that but the way he was hovering ever closer to her face told her he was anticipating an answer. Perhaps he shouldn't have been; she hadn't even named herself.

"Well… I saw a word while we were out last night. Kiran?"

"I believe it means 'ray of light'," he said, tilting to the side, flashing briefly. "I like it."

"You mean it?"

"I do! You know, you can still choose your own name if you want."

Wren tapped the toe of her boot on the floor on her way to the door. What Cayde had given her wasn't a bad name. It had become apparent that he would likely never actually call her by her name, but in the end, was it something she wanted to change? In a way she liked the subtle teasing. It made her feel like she belonged.

"It's okay. I kinda like Wren."

Kiran darted out into the hallway before Wren closed the door and he swerved lazily side to side as they made their way toward the Courtyard. Guardians walked around between the kiosks, getting their weapons repaired, picking up bounties, and Wren swore someone was cursing at an Awoken named Master Rahool; something about an engram. She avoided the angry Titan when he stomped by her, still muttering under his breath, and hastened toward the Command Center.

The Vanguard could be heard chatting among themselves, but she was too far away to hear what they were talking about. It wasn't until she got to the last set of steps that they could be heard more clearly. What she heard stopped her on the top step.

"She'll learn her place quickly enough," Zavala said, bright eyes scanning over a map. "Not all Guardians are ready for the call. You know that."

"There's a big difference between first day jitters and flat out not being cut out for it. She doesn't even act like a Hunter. We are dinner with a couple of Warlocks last night and she didn't even try to dine an; dash on em'."

"She deserves a chance," Ikora said a fraction of a second before she noticed Wren.

Cayde, however, did not.

"Fine. But she's going to get ripped apart out there, I guarantee it. I'd bet on it if it wasn't in bad taste."

How dare he talk about her like that behind her back? Her throat tightened, fists clenched tight at her sides.

"Good to know what your Hunters are worth to you," she stated as she stormed past him to Zavala.

Cayde jumped a little as she passed, eyes flashing brighter, his hand flying to his empty holster. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"What would you have me do?" Wren asked Zavala, ignoring Cayde.

The Commander glanced at the Hunter Vanguard and for a moment Wren wondered if he would make her go to Cayde for her assignment, but to her relief, he didn't.

"A team of Guardians was sent to the moon and they've gone missing. I need you to survey the situation."

"Yessir," Wren said, turning on her heel. Her trust in Cayde had been shattered but deeper still she felt like a fool for trusting him in the first place. He'd been nice to her, helped her, and made her feel she belonged despite her anxiety. He was supposed to be her mentor. She was supposed to trust him. Right?

It occurred to her that she only had a base understanding on what to expect. There were no memories to indicate what a friendship was supposed to be. There was nothing to compare it to. Still she couldn't shake the crushing pressure in her chest and that instinct was enough to go off of.

"Hey, kid, wait up," Cayde called, trotting up beside her. "I'm sorry about what I said. It was a joke, ya know?"

"You're a joke," she blurted out, unable to keep her voice from breaking. Her face burned hot and she looked away from him, hiding her expressions. "Go take your bets and leave me alone."

Cayde dropped back, her words stopping him in his tracks, but Wren didn't slow down. She couldn't afford to.

"I'm sorry," Kiran said. "He really does care about his Hunters."

"I may be a Hunter, but I'm not his."

"He's still your Vanguard."

"I can't follow someone who'd put glimmer on lives," she said, climbing into her battered old ship. "Forget it. I'll prove him wrong."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The landscape of the moon was exactly what she thought it would be, and yet it was completely different. There was something about the silence and the purity of the pale while scenery that caught Wren off guard. She sat on the wing of her jumpship, watching as a group of strange creatures lurked through the shadows, almost too far away for her to see. It was a lonely, desolate place.

Over her shoulder the Earth hovered in the black expanse of space, the Traveler little more than a child's play thing. That was what kept them all safe even though it was smaller than a grain of sand in the greater view of the universe and Wren had to wonder if their battle was an uphill one.

Still she swore she'd prove Cayde wrong. It didn't matter if their war was won or lost in the end; some battles could always be won. She planned on winning this one. She'd find the missing Guardians and bring them back to the Last City.

With that thought in mind she hopped from the wing of the jet, feeling the difference in gravity when she did. The landing felt strange and although her boots were weighted to make it more natural, they didn't help the floating feeling in the rest of her body. It would take some getting used to and she didn't have time for that. She checked her ammo and began to sprint up the hill, sticking to the brighter areas but keeping an eye out for the monsters skulking in the shadows.

"Hive," Kiran said quietly, disappearing in a shimmer of light. "The moon is overrun with them."

"I'll keep that in mind. Where was the last transmission?"

"There's an abandoned colony base near here. We might find something there that can help us with the next step of the puzzle."

"Right," Wren said, trudging off toward the nearest ridge.

"Hey, kid," Cayde's voice said out of nowhere and Wren flinched at the sudden sound. "I got you a Sparrow ready. She ain't pretty but she runs like a dream. Your Ghost'll know how to call it up."

Wren set her jaw. She didn't know what a Sparrow was but whatever it was, she didn't want it. A rock skittered soundlessly across the rocky ground, a product of her irritation. When Kiran got the point that she wasn't going to reply, he piped in.

"Thanks, Cayde. We appreciate it."

"Yeah… you need anything, you let me know."

"Will do."

Silence.

A nagging feeling in the back of Wren's mind made her wonder if she was being too hard on Cayde. It longed to make excuses for what he said, but the anger still lingered. The hurt still tightened around her windpipe. She wasn't ready to let it go. She still had to prove herself. Then she might take his apology. At least if she showed him how capable she was, she'd know the apology was genuine and not just to ease his own guilt.

"I know you're mad, but maybe you'll want to use the Sparrow? The base is nearby but it's still pretty far to walk and I'm afraid we don't have that kind of time," Kiran suggested.

"I don't even know what that is," Wren said, still marching onward to finally crest the ridge. The base could be seen in the distance but just barely. Flashes of light was enough to convince her that she'd have a fight on her hands once she got there.

"Here, I'll show you."

Kiran appeared in the palm of Wren's hand, sparked blue, then a small ship materialized beside her. It was old and a little dented, the neon green paint chipped and rubbed off on the edges to reveal a dark gunmetal grey underneath.

"Well, that's noticeable," she said dryly.

"He wasn't kidding. It's ugly. But it'll get you there safely."

"You don't sound so sure about that," Wren said, eyes shifting to Kiran, who barely peered at her.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. He said it runs fine."

"You really want me to like him, don't you?"

"What? No! I mean, yes? It'd make things easier if you got along."

"We'll see," Wren said, swinging a leg over the brightly colored Sparrow, settling into its worn leather seat.

"Alright, this is your thrust, your break, and the pedals are for steering," Kiran said, hovering over each piece as he explained its purpose. "It's pretty easy but be careful to feel your turns or you'll flip it."

"Noted."

Kiran disappeared, and Wren held her breath, hesitating only a moment before testing the thrust. At first the Sparrow wobbled under her, but she quickly gained her footing and sped up, relishing the feeling of floating and the pull of her cloak in the wind. A smile curved the corners of her lips and for a moment she forgot being angry at Cayde.

Ugly as it was, it rode smoothly over the rocky terrain and soon she was close enough to the base to see the letters on the side. Not that she could read them. The symbols meant nothing to her, but she didn't need them to know she'd arrived at her destination. Someone was in one of the windows, sniping Fallen who swarmed around a Servitor on the other side of the narrow valley.

Wren dismounted the Sparrow before it came to a stop and immediately regretted it. She tripped when her feet hit the ground and the Sparrow sped off for a few more yards before it bumped into a boulder. Kiran sighed in her ear and the Sparrow faded away.

"Whoops," she said, hoping the Guardian in the base hadn't witnessed what she'd done.

"Try to be more careful next time. C'mon. That Guardian might be one of the lost fireteam."

The Guardian waved down to her, indicating the path was clear. Wren spotted a ramp leading up to where the Guardian was, and she quickly trotted to the top. Inside it was obvious that there had been a fireteam up there at one point. Three bedrolls lay against a side wall, blankets folded up beside them. Packs of food and jugs of water lined another wall but there was only one Guardian there at the time.

"Did Zavala send you?" the Guardian asked. She was tall, nearly six feet if Wren had to guess, and was lean and toned; a Titan by the mark on her armor's shoulder piece. Awoken, like Wren, the Titan had white hair shaved into an undercut, and bright chartreuse eyes.

"He did. Where's the rest of your fireteam?"

"Dead most likely," the Titan replied, her gaze turning toward the window. "We were trying to find a way into the Hive Fortress, but we underestimated their numbers. I know for sure that Aso is dead. We had no choice but to leave his body by the door. Rorick went back yesterday to retrieve him but he hasn't returned, and I fear the worst."

"Do you want to return to the Tower?"

"Not without them. Even if I'm taking back bodies, I won't go back without them."

"Alright. Where's the door?"

"I'll show you," the Titan said, slinging her sniper rifle over her back. "Oh, name's Sisre. Sisre Vev. You can call me Sis."

"Wren. Just… Wren."

"You don't sound so thrilled with it," Sisre laughed.

"It's a long story."

"We've got a long walk."

 _Great_ , Wren thought, following the Titan down the ramp and across the valley floor. "Cayde named me."

"You let him name you and Wren is what you got? Hell, you got off lucky," she chuckled. "You met Fransrick yet? Could have been so much worse."

"It's not so much the name I have an issue with. It's Cayde."

"You'd be the first Hunter I've met in awhile that didn't like him. What'd he do?"

"I overheard him saying I wasn't cut out to be a Hunter. He hasn't even seen me fight. Just rubbed me the wrong way I guess."

"You're new then right?" Sisre asked, gliding up to a ledge.

"Yeah." Wren replied as she jumped up to meet Sis, noting the way the path narrowed. The walls shot up on both sides, far higher than they could jump or boost, trapping them in. If they had been surrounded, there would be no way out but to fight. Wren's fingers tightened around her hand canon's grip, but she didn't draw it.

"Don't sweat it. Cayde doesn't always think before he opens his mouth. We're here," Sisre said, stopping at the top of a steep slope down to a massive door. A dead Guardian could be seen laying near the door but there was no sign of another. Rorick was still missing.

"It looks clear. Do you want to get your fallen teammate before we look for Rorick?"

"Yeah. Maybe there'll be some sign of Ro down there," she said before slowly making her way down the slope, auto rifle at the ready.

Wren followed her lead and drew the hand canon, watching the shadows for any sign of movement. The further down they got, the more she felt they were being watched. She turned to peer over her shoulder and she thought she saw someone standing on the ledge above but as quickly as the figure was there, it was gone without a trace. A chill ran down her spine, but she set her jaw, allowing the hurt of Cayde's words to push her past the fear.

Sisre gently lifted Aso onto her shoulder, the motion as effortless as lifting a sack of flour. She rested the butt of her rifle on her hip, eyes scanning the area for any sign of her third teammate.

"Look. There," she pointed, "those boot prints are headed toward that cave. That might be where Rorick went."

Wren led the way, tension knotting between her shoulders when she spotted rust colored stains in and around the prints. There was a good chance Rorick was badly injured or dead. She eased up to the cave, stepping over piles of dead Hive. Their bodies crunched under her boots, falling apart as if they were made of paper and she couldn't help but grimace. Kiran materialized to shine his light across the back wall of the little cave.

There sat a Titan in battered armor, his chin resting on his chest. A rifle lay alongside his right leg, hand still on the grip while the other hand held tight around his elbow. Dried blood cracked along his gauntlet's surface and Wren was sure the bleeding had stopped; whether from his Ghost or death, she couldn't be so certain.

"Rorick?" Sisre called, setting down the body of Aso at the entrance of the cave. "Are you alive?"

Wren edged away from the corpse, turning her back on them to check her surroundings. It seemed clear but she was unnerved, the nagging feeling of being watched still picking the back of her brain.

"Yeah," a deep voice responded, barely a whisper.

"I got worried when you didn't come back."

"Didn't want to lead them back to camp," he said, wincing in pain.

"Where did they all go?"

"Not sure. I thought they'd never stop coming, and then they did. A group of Thrall just stood there, screeching at me, then they were gone."

Wren could hear scuttling overhead. She leaned forward, peering up to the ledge above. A shadow darted by and she backed up into the cave. "They're not gone," she said. "We have to move."

Rorick stood on shaky legs, leaning against Sisre for support. He wielded his auto rifle in his left hand, refusing to play the victim. Wren didn't know the two Titans well, but she got the feeling that they would fight to the end. She was the one who would be useless. The body of Aso lay motionless nearby and she didn't think she was big enough to carry him out. Still, she had to try.

Wren adjusted the body, putting his arms around her neck and lifting with her legs. He was big. Heavy. A Titan. He was smaller than Rorick, which she was grateful for, but it was the first time she noticed just how small she was in comparison to them.

"Don't strain yourself. We can come back for him," Sisre said, but Wren shook her head. She was determined to do what it took to get them all home.

Her legs shook under his weight and it took a moment to steady her breathing. Sisre and Rorick stepped out into the light and the instant they did the scurrying overhead became louder. The pair of them hobbled as quickly as they could up the steep slope, boosting their way to the top. Below them Thrall seeped out of every crack, charging toward them in a tide of creaking bones and gnashing teeth. The pair of Titans rained bullets down on the Thrall, dropping many of them.

Adrenaline coursed through Wren's body as she rushed out as quickly as possible, her legs wobbling under the dead weight of the third Titan. Her left arm wrapped tight around his, keeping him on her back while her right hand fired off rounds from her hand canon. The rounds tore through the scrawny Thrall, sometimes ripping through two in on shot. Sisre left Rorick at the entrance to the narrow pass and descended to help Wren with the body of her fallen teammate.

Wren was relieved to have the weight off her shoulders, her body feeling much lighter. Against her instinct to run, she turned her back and continued to slay Thrall while Sisre escaped with the body of her fallen friend.

The aliens screamed when they died, their shrill shrieks echoing off the stone walls. Chills ran up Wren's spine at the sound but it wasn't nearly as startling as the hollow click from her hand canon. She dropped the used clip and snapped in a new one a fraction of a second too late. Thrall were on her in a heartbeat. She blasted them one after another, spurred on by the ripping of their claws through her armor. It all passed in a flash and before she could process it, silence settled over the area. All she could see was the endless sky above her from where she lay on her back, panting for breath.

"Now that's the way to prove yourself!" Sis called, pumping her gun in the air.

"Let's… not do that again for a while," Wren said, shakily rising from the ground, dead Thrall all around her.

"You ready to go home, Hunter?"

"More than you know," she huffed, joining Sisre and Rorick. "I'll get Aso. I've had enough of the moon."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Wren carried Aso through the ship bay, her legs shaking under his weight. At the end of the walkway a couple of mechanics took him from her and she thanked them, grateful for the help. She hung back, watching them carry Aso behind Sisre and Rorick.

Kiran had explained to her that eventually she would be put into a fireteam but that most of the time she'd work alone. It was a Hunter thing. Wren was relieved. Sisre, Rorick, and Aso had been friends. Comrades. They had depended on one another and at least Sisre showed a devout sense of loyalty toward them. Wren couldn't imagine depending on someone that much and then having to bury them.

She looked around at the mechanics, elbow deep in broken sparrows and jump ships. They yelled, joked, teased each other. Ties she hadn't made with others yet and wondered if she should put herself in a position to form. It hadn't become apparent yet if she was tough enough to handle the pressures of being a Guardian. She'd only glimpsed what was expected of her and from the perspective of an outsider, in a way. Had something happened and they had not been able to bring Rorick back, she wouldn't grieve for him. She would have guilt over his life, yes, but the pervasive emotion would most likely have been of disappointment in her own failure. She would have to accept what Cayde had said as truth.

"We should report to Cayde," Kiran said, floating out a few feet to lead the way.

Wren didn't budge. It was as if her feet were glued to the floor, body refusing to move. She didn't want to see him. She was still angry.

"C'mon, Wren. You're being childish." Kiran's patience was waning and although his comment stung, it was only because he was right.

"Fine," she grumbled, following him as he drifted along, greeting other Ghosts and Guardians on the way. It seemed he knew everyone and was happy to engage with them. To form bonds with them.

Wren didn't realize she'd gone into auto pilot until she found herself at the top of the stairs. Sisre stood there, leaning against the top of the handrail, her eyes cast out toward the glowing white form of the Traveler. There was a sense of relief that came from seeing the Titan. It meant she could delay the inevitable and linger with her for a moment, taking a spot beside her.

The Traveler. It was what they were fighting for, in a sense. It protected the City, and they would protect it with the Light it gave them. Without it, they would fail. Or so she had been told.

"Thanks for helping us out there. We weren't able to bring Aso back, but without you, I might not have been able to get Rorick out alive. I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"No problem."

"You okay? You look stressed."

"She's just being stubborn," Kiran said.

"Sometimes stubbornness is okay if it's justified," Sisre said. "What's wrong? Cayde again?"

Wren looked away. It felt like she was whining.

"Look, Wren. You wanted to prove him wrong and so you did. You survived. You carried out your first mission without a hitch. Not everyone gets to say that. If I were you, I'd march right up to him and tell hi the mission was a success. Rub it in his face."

"Well, maybe don't do that," Kiran interjected.

"All I'm saying is this; don't let him get you down," Sisre said, clamping a hand on Wren's shoulder before walking away.

Wren took a deep breath and proceeded down the steps and past Shaxx who was recounting tales of battle to some Guardians who had gotten too close.

Cayde stood at the command center, leaning over his map in deep concentration. Ikora and Zavala were absent, taking away the opportunity to walk past Cayde the way she had before. There was no choice, she had to talk to him. Sundance flickered above him, nudging him until he looked up at Wren.

"Hey look, it's Canary. C'mere, kid," Cayde said, waving her over.

"My name's Wren."

"Yeah, that's what I said. Now c'mere."

Her fists clenched at her sides but she relented, taking a place beside him. The map under his hands was aged, stained, and town from years of abuse but it detailed the Cosmodrone and its surrounding areas with hand written notes, symbols, and dates. Things that only Cayde himself would understand.

"Are you sending me back to the Cosmodrone?" she asked.

"Sorry kid, this mission requires skills you don't have yet. No offense," he added quickly, hands up defensively. "How'd it go on the moon?"

"Fine. A Titan named Aso was dead when I got there but I helped Sisre bring back Rorick. He was supposed to be taken in for observation but I think he'd going to be fine."

"Good, good. Meet any Hive up there?"

"Yes. It seems overrun with them."

"That so? Hm," Cayde said, straightening himself.

"Can I go then?"

"Actually I have something for you," he said, retrieving a box that had been stashed under the table.

Wren didn't know what to say. Was it a trick? Was he serious? If he was, did she even want whatever it was he was trying to give her? Taking it might mean she had to forgive him for what he said and she didn't know if she was ready for that.

"Don't give me that face," he said. "You're gonna love it."

Kiran tilted curiously as Wren pulled the box closer across the table. It was heavier than she expected and what lay inside caught her breath in her throat.

A new Better Devils, shiny and custom painted. She drew her fingers across the surface, painted black and white with accents of deep purple and gold. It was beautiful but as if gift it didn't make any sense. He hardly knew her. Was this what his guilt looked like?

Her eyes shifted up to Cayde's. What should she say? What did he want? His mouth was opened slightly, blue eyes darting expectantly from the gun to her face and back again. He seemed… excited?

"Well?" he finally said. "Do you like it?"

Wren was conflicted. She raised the Better Devils from its box, feeling its weight in her grip. The gold gleamed in the light and she knew she loved it. It belonged in her hand. She wanted it but it was dulling her anger toward him as effectively as a bucket of water on a match.

He must have noticed her hesitation because the look of excitement faded into something more serious.

"I don't understand," she said at last.

"It's an apology. You did good. It wasn't right for me to judge you before you had a chance to show me what you could do."

Wren's chest tightened. "Apology accepted."

Cayde beamed. "Just don't tell anyone. Might get the wrong idea."

"Trust me, I'd never let people get the wrong idea about you and me," she quipped back. Maybe they could start over. That would be nice.


	7. Chapter 7

Somewhere in the distance a knocking sound brought Wren out of sleep and dreams of things that faded too quickly for her to hold onto. Sunlight filtered through the curtains of her little room, the flash of Kiran zooming by in the direction of the door. He peered through the peep hole and Wren waited for him to announce who it was, which would determine if it was worth getting up or if she should tell him to be quiet and pretend they weren't home.

"Sisre," he said quietly.

Wren groaned and rolled out of bed, pulling her blanket tight around her shoulders. She cracked the door, stifling a yawn. "Morning."

"You were still asleep?"

"Rough night."

"Well, get dressed. Cayde sent me after you. I'll wait out here. You hurry up," she said, leaning against the wall on the other side of the hall.

Wren abandoned the warmth of her blanket, dawning her armor and new holster. The Better Devils that belonged in it was in the Vault and although she couldn't wait to get her hands on it, sleep seemed preferable.

"What do you think he wants?" Wren asked, securing her cloak and attempting to smooth down her unruly, wavy hair. She really needed a brush.

"I can't say for sure, but he might be assigning you to a fireteam."

"Already?"

"It is pretty soon, but don't worry about it too much. You'll still be working alone a good bit of the time. Having a fireteam is necessary sometimes. You'll get used to them. Learn to work with them. It'll be fine."

"Will they be Hunters too?"

"Not necessarily. Zavala tries not to put together fireteams made of one class. Diversity is key. Everyone has something to bring to the table. Could be any mix of Titans, Hunters, or Warlocks."

Wren wasn't sure if she liked that. Hunters would understand the need to be alone. Or at least respect it. Getting close to a team sounded like what she wanted to avoid; friendship. Loss. Pain. What would she do if she got close to one of them and they were killed in action? There was no way of knowing how she'd react. How it would feel. Imagining it was far different than feeling it.

"Finally!" Sisre said when Wren joined her in the hall. "You Hunters sure like to take your sweet time, eh? At least you're not fussy about your hair."

Sisre playfully ruffled Wren's hair, to which the Hunter laughed and batted her hand away. Building repertoire; step one to developing friendship. Wren's smile faded. "So… Cayde?"

"Seems he has you in mind for a fireteam," Sisre replied, confirming what Kiran said. "I'm surprised he's putting you up for a team so soon, but who knows? Maybe you'll end up being his favorite."

Wren rolled her eyes as the Titaness chuckled. "And maybe the Traveler will fall from the sky and wipe out the City."

"Possible."

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing lasts forever. I think most of us have given that possibility a thought, but it's safer under the Traveler than it is beyond the wall."

"Well, that didn't go the direction I thought it would," Wren said dryly.

"Nah, I got what you meant. I was just messing with you."

"Anyway, how's Rorick?"

"He's fine," Sisre said, "for now, anyway. His Ghost, Brix, is still missing. Rorick insist he can feel Brix out there somewhere. That he's still alive. I'm not convinced but I don't want to give up either. I requested permission to return to the moon to search for Brix but Zavala's been busy and hasn't answered me yet. I'm hoping he gives me his answer when we get to the command center."

"What if you can't find Brix?"

"Then Rorick won't be a Guardian anymore. He'll be a civilian and he'll have to move within the walls and make his own way down there in the City. I don't think he'd do well as a civie."

"If you're given permission, I'd like to go with you."

"I'm going whether Zavala approves or not but sure, you can come with me if you want."

Wren and Sisre descended into the command center where a group of Guardians had already gathered with their respective Vanguard.

Beorn and Franzrick stood by Ikora, telling her something that by the look on her face, she doubted very much. Wren didn't know the Warlocks well, but from what she remembered about them from dinner at the spicy ramen shop, they were expressive. Their stories might have been grounded in truth, but they were also highly exaggerated. Still, Ikora's brow quirked, her lips curving into a knowing smile. She was amused by them.

A Hunter Wren didn't know stood beside Cayde, arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't as tall as Cayde, being a few inches shorter than the Vanguard. His face was thin and sharp with flawlessly smooth skin, drawn lips, and deep circles accentuating the paleness of his grey eyes. Short, messy black hair framed his face and overall his appearance gave her chills.

Wren took a place opposite the male Hunter, somehow feeling a little more at ease with Cayde between them. Sisre joined Zavala and a Titan Wren had to assume was Rorick since she'd not seen him without his helmet on. He was a little taller than Zavala, similar in build with an oval face, strong jaw, and ruddy skin. His hair was brown, close shaved, and his honey brown eyes were alert, observant.

"Now that everyone's here," Zavala began, quieting the others in the room, "it's come to my attention that we have an excess of Guardians without fireteams. We can't afford to have so many unassigned to a group. Due to recent events Sisre and Rorick are without a fireteam. They're who I am contributing to this team."

"Beorn and Franzrick have been without a fireteam for a few months. I was unable to find one that suited them, but I believe it's time for them to spread their wings. Yes, I think they'll fit in nicely," Ikora said, nodding.

"I've got uh, Flak and Finch," Cayde said, clapping a hand on Wren's shoulder.

"Wren," she sighed.

"Yeah, that. Anyway, she's new but she already knows your Titans. Fits. Flak here," Cayde said, his voice faltering when he looked at Flak, who returned the look with a blank expression. "Well he's a Hunter. Qualified."

Zavala's eyes narrowed. "Very well. Starting today, the six of you are now fireteam Cerulean. Rorick will be your fireteam leader, but it's possible that it's temporary. Your first mission is to search for his Ghost on the moon. More than that; you'll need to gather intelligence on the Hive. We need to know the extent of their expansion and what they're motives are. Provisions have been prepared and await you in the hanger. I expect you to leave immediately. Any questions? No? Good. Dismissed."

Wren watched the others drop from their ships and sling their packs over their shoulders. Teamwork was something that would come with time, as Kiran had so adamantly insisted on their way to the moon. He insisted that they had a good foundation because Beorn and Franz, as well as Sisre and Rorick, had been part of fireteams before. They'd fought together, ate together, grown together. If the four of them could get along, find a way to mesh, their team stood a chance to bond.

If only Wren could put aside the fear to get too close to them. Kiran wouldn't come right out and say so, but he suggested that if she didn't bond with them, she could be the weak link in their armor. It felt too forced and yet… she liked them. Forced or no, she felt it was bound to happen, even if she wasn't ready to fold to it yet. It was Flak she wasn't sure of.

He'd kept to himself while they'd worked to load up their supplies, refusing to interact with them. Franzrick had already been muttering things under his breath and although Wren couldn't hear what he was saying, the way he darted his eyes at Flak she had to assume it was about the Hunter.

"Listen up," Rorick said. "Night and day aren't easily distinguishable here so be sure to keep up with the time. We might be here for a while, but it's important to keep a schedule. Zavala is expecting a report in three hours. That gives us time to get to the base and set up camp. We might have to clear out some Fallen but that shouldn't be a problem."

Wren noticed Flak's eyes narrow at Rorick, his thin jaw clenched, but he said nothing. He didn't wait on Rorick either. His Ghost flashed in his palm, summoning his sparrow. Before the others had a chance to do the same, Flak was headed up the hill.

"What a prick," Sisre grumbled.

"Weak link," Kiran whispered for only Wren to hear.

"Don't concern yourself with him," Rorick said, his sparrow materializing before him.

The team mounted their sparrows; intricate, well maintained machines while her own was an eyesore. It seemed every time she looked at it, more of the green paint was flecked off.

"Hey, I remember that sparrow," Beorn chuckled.

"Me too," said Franz. "Had some good times on that thing."

"What?" Wren asked, feeling the paint chip under her, catching on her armor.

"We had that starter sparrow too," Beorn explained. "I had it first and Franzrick painted it green when he had it but he didn't use the right kind of paint. That's why it looks like that. Brings back memories."

"Alright, grandpa, time to hop off memory lane," Franz said. "They're already way ahead of us."

With that, Franzrick sped off, blue flames spouting from the back of his sparrow. Beorn followed, leaving Wren alone with Kiran.

"You should get going too," he said, disappearing from over her shoulder.

Wren glanced over her shoulder to the Earth one last time before racing to catch up to the others. It was a far different feeling riding in a group. She caught up with Beorn and Franzrick, falling in behind them. There seemed to be a wild pulsing energy around them; as if riding so closely with them, anticipating their dodging movements over rocks and craters was second nature. It was as if she could feel them, their energies. Was it the Light or was it her own emotions bubbling to the surface, making her feel connected to the moment?

The base grew every larger as they closed the distance, Rorick, Sisre, and Flak already toting their supplies up the ramp. Fallen could be seen farther away, at another building away from the main tower. The sparrows of the other teammates were gone by the time Wren, Beorn, and Franz arrived, their own sparrows shimmering away before they reached the top of the ramp.

Sisre set up her sniper rifle in the far opening, calibrating to take out the Fallen, no doubt. Rorick organized the supplies as Beorn and Franzrick handed them over, placing bed rolls, food rations, and jugs of water in neat piles out of the way. Flak stood in another window, facing the direction they had just come from.

"Wren," Rorick said, taking her bag, "you and Flak should go to the building to the south and check it out. Clear it if anything's in there. I don't want Hive or Fallen setting up camp that close to us. Bring back any supplies you find."

"Sure," Wren nodded after a moment's hesitation. He was her fireteam leader. How much choice did she have?

Flak said nothing. He strode past her, descending the ramp without waiting. Franz nudged Wren's elbow with his own, his odd colored eyes locking with hers. If she needed him, all she'd have to do was call. Somehow, she just knew it, but she also knew she wouldn't. She was the smallest. The newest. She still had a lot to prove.

The building they were tasked to search was close enough they could walk to it. She caught sight of Flak's cloak as he turned behind a boulder. She kept wide of it, paranoid that he would jump out at her. But he didn't. He was already inside, the faint glow of his Ghost illuminating the interior of the building.

Inside was barred, devoid of life. Broken control panels lay open, wires sticking out like colorful worms. Kiran lit up close to her right cheek, his light falling on the first set of panels while Flak moved on to the next room.

"Looks like the Fallen have already taken everything useful," Kiran grumbled, scanning the destroyed machines. "But I don't think anyone's here. Move on."

Wren passed through the doorway into a second area. Flak had found a tattered map, his Ghost speaking quietly, his light shining through the thin paper. Flak glared at Wren, his Ghost barely peeking around his Guardian's head.

"What do you make of this?" Flak asked. His voice was flat, monotone almost.

Wren approached him and keeping her distance, she leaned in to get a better look. The terrain seemed to lay out the base and surrounding areas but there were strange symbols and scrawling, illegible handwritten notes. An ace of spades was stamped in the corner. "Not sure exactly but I think it's Cayde's."

"I can see that," Flak said. "A fool could have deduced that. What else?"

Her face burned red. "I… I don't know."

Flak folded the map and stuck it in his pocket. "I think you know, you just won't tell me. This is a map of one of his stashes isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would I know that?"

"You're really clueless, aren't you?" he asked, tilting his head. "I thought you'd know more, seeing you're close enough for him to have given you that."

Flak glanced down to the Better Devils on her hip and her fingers grazed it instinctively. "Well, you've got it all wrong. I hardly know Cayde. The gun was an apology."

He scoffed. "Sure it was."

"Ignore him," Kiran said quietly. "Let's get back. Nothing's here."

"I don't know where you're getting the idea that somethings' going on between Cayde and me, but you're wrong," Wren shot back.

"The idea? Well, let's see…" Flak said, backing her into the console. "Besides the gun, why'd he pick you for this team? You're a tiny little runt. What good could you do for us?"

"Flak, maybe we should go." Flak's Ghost said, peering around his Guardian's head. The Hunter's eyes narrowed, Wren's jaw clenched.

After a moment locked in a stare with Flak, he turned and left, his Ghost hanging back a moment before disappearing as well. Wren exhaled, her fists unclenching. What the hell was that about?

"You should tell Rorick what happened. Flak was completely out of line," Kiran buzzed.

"No. He's just being a jerk. Trying to rile me up. Just ignore him and he'll give up."

"But Wren…"

"No, Kiran. I'm serious. Leave it alone."

Wren stormed out of the building, Kiran sinking a little before following her. Instead of going back to the base, where she could see Flak climbing the ramp, Wren went around the back of the building to double check the outlying areas. A transmitter was stuck in the ground behind the building, a red light flashing on top. It definitely wasn't one from the Tower. She yanked it out of the ground before making her way back to Rorick and the others.

"No, nothing," she could hear Flak say as she ascended the ramp. "The Fallen took everything of use but they're long gone. No sign of hive activity either."

"Except this," Wren said, holding out the flashing red transmitter. "It was behind the building, wedged off in a corner."

"Good find," Rorick said, pulling a chip out of the transmitter and stuffing it in a pouch on his utility belt. "When we get back I'll hand it over to Zavala. Maybe they can find something of use on it. Something wrong, Flak?"

Wren glanced at the Hunter, his gaunt face screwed into a sneer, dark eyes cast down at her. "What are you playing at, runt? That beacon wasn't there before."

"Stand down, Flak. If you don't, I'll report you to Commander Zavala and have you removed from this mission."

Sisre came to stand beside Wren, crossing her arms over her chest. Beorn and Franz backed them up and Flak shut his mouth, only daring to glare down at Wren but deep down she burned. Her throat tightened, fists shook. She didn't need them to protect her. She didn't need them.

"Why don't you tell them about the map, Flak?" Wren said, spitting his name out like something foul.

"What map?" Rorick asked.

Flak's teeth ground so hard Wren could hear them popping and without breaking eye contact with her, he pulled Cayde's map from a pouch and slapped it into Rorick's hand. It felt like tattling, but Wren was beyond that. She already had enough to prove without fighting tooth and nail with Flak and the others standing behind her the way they did made her feel like some weak thing that needed protecting. She wasn't going to be that person. If it was the last thing she did, she would rise above their expectations of her.

"Anything interesting?" Beorn asked.

"It's Cayde's, that's for sure. I see a marking here that I recognize. Seems he took note of a cave or tunnel that might be a sort of back route to the Hive base. We'll check it out tomorrow. For now, finish setting up camp," Rorick said, folding the map and securing it on his person. "I'm the fireteam leader, Flak. Remember that, and we'll all get along great."

"Yessir," Flak said through his teeth before storming out of the tower and down the ramp, disappearing into the building he'd previously searched with Wren.

"Wren. That goes for you too," Rorick said, kinder this time. "Flak hasn't worked out with other teams before and he might not work out with us either, but we're not here to judge him on his past. We're here to give him a fair shake. Now, can you let this incident go and work toward building team Cerulean?"

Kiran nudged her shoulder and she knew he wanted her to tell Rorick about what had happened in the outpost building, but she ignored him.

"Of course," she replied. Kiran sighed and sank a little. She would push forward, no matter the obstacle.


	8. Chapter 8

{Hey there! My silly self forgot they were on the Moon and had their helmets off there for a minute... but I'll try to remember from here on in!}

Chapter Eight

Wren had lost count of how many days they'd been on the Moon. Day and night were thrown off and Rorick's well intentioned time schedule had gone out the window the very first night. That day had been eventful enough, but soon after the first guard shift was posted and the others had fallen asleep, all hell broke loose.

She remembered being woken to the sounds of yelling and sniper fire. Sisre and Beorn were posted in one of the large openings, firing on a mass of Hive that flowed from the canyon toward the base in a thick wall, like a wave threatening to swallow them whole. Wren jumped to her feet, scrambling with the Better Devils. It clanked on the floor, sliding away from her as Franz kicked it on his way toward the ramp.

"Useless," Flak exclaimed, shoving the gun back in her hand.

Franz opened fire on the Thrall that swarmed up the ramp. They screeched and screamed, climbing over one another as those in the front were gunned down. The bodies were lost in the mass and the Thrall spilled over the open sides of the ramp, falling into tangled masses below and yet they kept coming.

"Cursed Thrall incoming!" Franz yelled from the door.

"What?" Wren asked, slamming a fresh clip in the Better Devils.

"Those glowing ones. They explode," Beorn said.

Wren pushed her way through the others to see the sickening glowing green Thrall approaching, running at first, then walking slowly, bony arms wrapped tight around themselves. They shoved their way through the masses until Franz landed a headshot on one halfway up the ramp. It exploded, flinging globs of flesh and blood in all directions, blowing limbs from surrounding thrall. Wren suppressed the urge to vomit, taking aim with her hand canon and firing into the hoards.

Rorick squeezed through, kneeling before them with his auto rifle and mowing down the lines as they came.

"There are too many," he shouted. "Grab some supplies and run for the caves."

"Not a chance!" Sisre said, pulling Rorick back from the doorway. "Not without your Ghost. Get out of here. I got this."

He'd hesitated a moment but knew it couldn't be helped. He'd led the team to safety and that was what landed them where they currently were, blocked into a cave system on the other side of the canyon from the base. Old crates had been stacked in front of the entrance, but they could still hear the Thrall on the other side, pacing, scratching, screaming.

There was no backup. No comm system could reach outside of the caves. They would have to find their own way out. The cave itself had been marked clearly on Cayde's map, but not which tunnels led back out again. There was a chance that Cayde never got to explore them on his own, or that his scouts hadn't bothered to mark anything off. Who knew how long it'd taken for them to get through, or if they even tried?

"What's the plan," Franz asked, propping his elbows on his knees. "We can't stay here forever."

Rorick nodded, crossing his arms. "Sisre and I explored the left side tunnels, but we came on a room that just had too many splits. But I understand we can't stay here. The Thrall don't seem to be going anywhere. We have no choice but to look for an exit. We'll pair up and head into the tunnels. Mark where you've been, I don't care how, and get back here in twenty-four hours. We should have enough information to move forward after that."

Kiran turned to Wren. Splitting up would no doubt stick Wren with Flak all over again. She wasn't fond of the idea, but unless she told Rorick what Flak had said about her, she'd just have to deal with it.

"Flak, Wren," Rorick called and the Hunters looked to him. "Think you can get along for a day?"

"Yessir," Wren said without hesitation. Flak nodded.

"Good. Then get going. I expect a lot from a team of Hunters."

Wren packed up her things without a second glance at Flak, but she could feel eyes on her. Whether they were from him or the others, she couldn't be sure. Rorick kept with his orders, telling them to go toward the right-side tunnels. Wren headed off to the darkness of the tunnels, away from the dim light of the central cavern as the others packed up to leave. She checked the time as Kiran blinked over her shoulder, casting his light ahead.

"I don't like this," he said quietly, Flak's footsteps echoing behind them.

"It'll be fine."

Harsh white light from Kiran lit the narrow tunnels in a way that made her feel claustrophobic. That and having her helmet on for days was getting restrictive and it seemed she always had a tension between her shoulders, a need to run if for no other reason than to stretch her legs and prove her freedom.

Around every corner she thought she saw a shadow move but tried not to be too reactive. The strap over the Better Devils remained undone, incase she needed to draw quickly, and it was a small comfort, unlike Flak who remained quiet since they started out. He let her take lead, marking paths with chalk as they went. Twice they had to backtrack and when Wren checked the time, they'd been going for nearly ten hours.

The section of tunnels was only about four meters wide, too narrow for a proper camp but wider than some of the other sections. She dropped her pack on the ground and turned around, nearly smacking into Flak's chest. She jumped back but he stood stone still, the faceplate of his mask glaring down at her. It was impossible to see his face but the way he loomed over her made her uncomfortable.

"I think we should stop here and rest before heading back," she said, unsure if sleep would be an option with him around.

Flak took a step forward, then another, backing Wren up to the cave wall. He propped an arm over her head and Kiran blinked. Wren's heart pounded in her ears as Flak's free hand traced the curve of her side.

"Don't," she warned, swatting his hand away.

"I think I have it figured out," he replied, dismissing the rejection but continuing to loom over her, keeping her trapped. "The reason you're here. I know those Exo types can't do the deed like humans or Awoken… but they have needs. Cayde's still a man, in a sense. He has needs. So, how'd you do it, huh? How'd you entice him enough to get on his good side?"

"What? What are you talking about? I told you, there's nothing between Cayde and me," Wren said, darting under his arm but he grabbed her wrist and twisted it, snatching her back toward him.

"C'mon," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Show me."

"Get off," she demanded, slamming the butt of her hand cannon into the side of his helmet.

He paused for a split second, then punched her square in the chest, knocking her to the ground. Her head swam and she couldn't draw a deep breath. She coughed and sputtered as he stood over her.

"Enough!" Flak's Ghost cried, darting between his Guardian and Wren. Kiran joined him, the pair flashing, distressed, but unable to help.

"What a little ladder climbing who—"

"I said enough," his Ghost said again, cutting him off. His voice trembled but he stood his ground. Flak's fists clenched but after a moment he stepped back, muttering under his breath as he prepared a place to sleep.

Wren caught her breath and sat up, scooting into a wall, her back pressed against the slick rock. Her hands shook and her throat burned. The place on her chest where he'd hit hurt pulsed with every heartbeat. Flak lay down with his back to her and soon he was asleep.

Kiran floated in front of Wren's helmet, Flak's Ghost bright and alert by his Guardian.

"You need to tell Rorick what happened," Kiran said quietly, flickering toward Flak, as if the Hunter would wake at any noise.

Wren considered, then shook her head. "No. I've already had an incident with Flak. If I tell Rorick he might not believe me. He might think I made it up because of what happened before. I don't want to have to change fireteams just because of him."

"But Wren—'

"It's okay. If I don't let him get to me, he'll quit." Wren wasn't convinced at her own words and the way Kiran's components spun, he didn't either. At the end of the day, it was her call and she didn't want to risk it.

Sleep didn't come to Wren. She sat against the wall, staring at Flak until an alarm buzzed in her ear, making her jump. For nearly two hours she'd watched him for any sign of movement, any change in breathing and although she wasn't entirely sure what he wanted from her, she knew it wasn't anything good.

Flak's Ghost nudged his shoulder to wake him and by the time he rose Wren was on her feet, bag slung over her shoulder. Before he could pack his things, Wren started off down the tunnel in the direction they had come a few hours before.

Her legs felt heavy, eyes burned with the need for sleep, but fear pushed her forward. Then ten hours back to the group seemed to stretch on forever and by the time she saw the light from their main camp, she thought he legs might collapse beneath her.

"Hey!" Sisre called, jogging up to meet them with a scout rifle in hand. "Flak and Beorn found a tunnel system leading into a Hive base. It's our best chance out of here."

"Good, let's get on it," Wren said, realizing immediately how tired she sounded.

"Didn't you guys rest?" Sisre said.

"Yeah, sort of."

"Everything alright?"

Wren could hear Flak come up too close behind her and she shrugged. "Yeah. Guess I'm just not used to all this yet."

"Understood," Sisre chuckled. "I remember being dead tired my first couple of missions. But you'll get used to it in no time. Besides, you lazy Hunters are known for sneaking off for a nap."

Sisre nudged Wren's elbow a few times teasingly. Wren nudged her back and the pair headed off toward Rorick and the others. Flak fell back and Kiran shifted his light toward her. In the safety of the group, Wren was able to push the events of the trip to the back of her mind.

"C'mon," Franz said, leading the way, Rorick directly behind him. Beorn followed up the two and Wren fell in line between him and Sisre, guilty to put Sisre so close to Flak but feeling confident that the Hunter wouldn't try anything with her.

The group remained relatively quiet as they snaked through the labyrinth of tunnels, following the chalk marked path Beorn and Franz had found. Wren was exhausted but somehow it was tolerable as long as she was with them. Still her mind drifted to her new home at the Tower; to a hot shower and a warm robe. To a soft bed. But there was something else. Something she'd felt since she opened her eyes; the urge to run.

The only time she hadn't felt it was with a gun in her hand or a Sparrow between her knees. The night she'd spent in that soft bed in the Tower hadn't been as easy as the night in the base on the Moon before the Thrall attacked. She dismissed it as the Hunter's way.

They came upon the cavern suddenly and Wren stepped out into the expanse with a deep inhale. Strange torches had been forced into natural cervices, casting an eerie yellow glow on the barnacle like things that covered large patches of the cavern.

Wren grimaced at the barnacles that crunched under her boots, leaving them glistening damp with broken bits of barnacle stuck on. She averted her eyes, repulsed by what the Hive had caused.

Toward the right was a widely curving wall, mostly untouched, while to the left were massive carved stone pillars. The barnacles became denser in that area and as much as Wren hated it, she knew that was where they were headed; deeper into the Hive base.

From there Rorick took point, standing in the doorway before making the signal to move ahead. Wren assumed he remembered something about this area to feel so confident in his decision. How far in had he made it before he'd lost his Ghost? How did he even know Brix was still in one piece? Questions that likely would go unanswered.

They wound down steep, circular ramps and took them deeper and deeper into the Moon. Somewhere down below Wren could hear the rustling, scurrying sound of Thrall, unaware of their presence. The Ghosts had gone, leaving the Guardians to make their way in darkness. A screech sent chills down Wren's spine and he drew her weapon, ready for anything.

"We're close," Rorick said, moving to the right into a narrow passage covered on all sides by barnacles. Wren hesitated and Sisre nudged her back, making her move forward. She kept her elbows in, glancing around at the walls.

At the end of the hall were more stone pillars, much smaller than the first and erected at odd angles. A couple of chests sat against a far wall and from between them, a little light blinked then flew out like a flash, buzzing around Rorick's head.

Brix.

"Good, now let's get the hell out of here," Franz said, jerking his thumb toward the door.

"Not without the loot," Sisre said, popping open a chest. Wren was at her side immediately, drawn by curiosity.

The chests had an odd assortment of odds and ends; weapons, armor, glimmer, cloaks, marks, shards of an unknown material, bits of bone, skulls, and shredded material. No doubt both chests were some sort of hoard they'd collected from dead Guardians.

Sisre pulled a black cloak from the top and handed it to Wren who unfolded the black and white cloak to reveal a red bird across the back and a red band leading down to the frayed hem. Whomever it belonged to before had worn it for a long time. The white material had flecks of blood and small tears, burn marks, and gunshot residue. And yet it appealed to Wren. It was as if she could feel the presence of the Hunter who wore it before. She pulled off her half cloak and shoved it in her bag, attaching the longer one in its place while the other rummaged through what remained in the chests.

Most of the stuff was useless, mangled in whatever fight left the Guardians without their belongings and quite possibly, without their lives. A dead Ghost lay crushed at the bottom and Rorick held the pieces gingerly in his large hand. It could have just as easily been Brix. Wren couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking the same.

He tucked the Ghost away when Sisre handed him a pouch of glimmer. Beorn and Franz grabbed as much ammo as they could carry, distributed the rest. Wren put a fresh clip in her pouch, and they were ready to go.

Rorick headed out, the others falling into line behind him. Brix hovered over his shoulder for a time, speaking with him, but Wren was too far back to hear what the Ghost had to say. Before they got back to the larger cavern they'd come in at, Brix flickered and disappeared. Wren didn't know much about being a Guardian yet, but she did understand the importance of her Ghost. It was something that had been understood since she opened her eyes and keeping Kiran safe was priority. She hadn't been with him long, but she couldn't imagine being without him for even a day, let alone how long it had been since Rorick and Brix had been apart.

"Keep moving," Rorick said as the tunnel became so narrow, they had to turn sideways to walk.

Claustrophobia crept up on Wren, fear snaking up her neck and across her shoulders. The scream of a Thrall was all too close, echoing through the stone passage but she couldn't tell from which direction.

"We're almost there. Get ready for a fight," Rorick said.

Wren gripped the Better Devils, holding it up and close to her chest as she squeezed through the last section of tunnel. She could see the white of the Moon's surface reflecting light into the mouth of the cave and she felt the urge to push the others out of the way.

Gunfire started the instant they were free of the cave. Bright blue energy rounds hit the sides of the entrance, splattering on impact. Wren's vision lit up with blue when she stepped outside, and she clenched her teeth when the splash burned into less armored parts of her body.

They charged up the hill, Sisre boosting ahead to help Rorick with the first line. Flak caught up to Wren, his auto rifle blazing through Thrall. Rounds from Wren's hand cannon echoed from the canyon walls, rounds ripping through Thrall. Great chunks of flesh and bone fell away as Thrall fell dead on the cold surface of the Moon.

"Someone get that Knight!" Beorn yelled from the back of the group.

Wren turned around and Franz was struck in the back by an Arc round. He yelled and fell face first to the ground. Thrall swarmed his body and Beorn fired into them with a scout rifle. Wren went back for them, half running, half sliding, down the steep hill, firing the Better Devils into the Thrall.

Arc rounds crashed around them, splashes of energy singeing them all over. Wren took aim and fired, the Knight's head jerking back violently as the bullet struck between its eyes. The creature stumbled back, and she fired again, knocking it to the ground. Wren helped Beorn get Franz on his feet and the three of them hurried toward the others who stood their ground up top and fired down at the Thrall that chased them.

Wren's feet slid under the extra weight, but she kept pushing, her feet like lead. Rorick met them half-way and put Franz across his shoulders to carry him the rest of the way. The back of Franz's armor was burned away in a hole the size of Wren's helmet. The skin underneath bubbled with blisters and Wren had to look away.

Adrenaline pushed her up the hill, the pounding in her ears nearly covering the sounds of Rorick calling for help. They retreated through the narrow canyon, then out into the open where they cleared the Thrall that had followed them into the clearing.

They summoned their Sparrows, keeping an eye out for any more Hive who wanted to try their luck with the group of Guardians.

"Wren, I need Franz to ride with you," Rorick said, putting the injured Warlock on the Sparrow behind Wren. "Sparrows aren't really made to carry two, but I think you're small enough it should be alright."

Franz groaned in pain, but he was alert enough to put his arms around Wren's waist. He slumped against her, unable to hold himself up. Wren didn't hesitate to agree and they sped off toward their ships and hopefully, toward home.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The Tower hadn't been an option for them. Franz had returned with Cayde's map, now filled in with map information that could be important in future missions, but the rest of Cerulean had been sent to Earth. Heavy Fallen activity near a place called Skywatch had attracted the attention of the Vanguard and likewise, the Speaker. He'd asked Cerulean to check it out, as they were the closest team to the area.

Cerulean had landed nearly ten miles away in the hope that the distance wouldn't alert the Fallen to their presence. It was late afternoon by the time they got to a safehouse, which was a building at the edge of a city, left nearly untouched. The left-wing roof was caved in and every window was shattered. Doors were missing and the ones that weren't hung from rusty hinges. Compared to the rubble of other buildings around it, it was still in decent shape.

Sisre led Wren upstairs to a room on the third floor, which she said was a good place to keep an eye out for enemies. She set up her sniper rifle in the open window and Wren set their things against a wall, which had more exposed brick than it did chipping paint.

"I don't know about you, but I need a bath," Sisre said, hands on her hips. "I can handle being stuck in armor for days on end but every Guardian needs a break from it."

"A bath?" Wren said. She'd not had one since waking and it hadn't even occurred to her. "Yeah, it's been awhile."

"I bet," Sisre laughed. "Let's go. I know of a spring nearby."

Wren followed her back outside, past the room where Rorick and Flak set up their equipment in silence. Wren didn't look at Flak. She hurried by the door, hoping Rorick wouldn't stop them on their way out. Sisre didn't bother telling him where they were going.

Outside Wren shielded her eyes against the sun, which was setting directly ahead. They would only have a couple of hours before nightfall when Rorick would no doubt expect them back to prepare for the mission that would begin before dawn.

Earth was more interesting than the Moon. Flowers, trees, and grass grew from the remnants of what humans had left; sprouting up between cracks in the pavement and even from the rubble of the buildings. Across the street was a one-story house with the entire right side missing. A giant oak tree grew up from a hole in the roof on the left side while wildflowers had taken over the destroyed half.

Overhead the sky was still blue and puffy white clouds drifted lazily overhead. Sisre took a deep breath, turning her nose to the sky.

"Smells like rain," she said wistfully.

Wren copied her, turning her nose to the sky and breathing deeply, labeling the specific scent in her head. This was the smell of coming rain. She grinned. It was refreshing.

Sisre led the way toward what was once a bridge. The asphalt had fallen away in huge chunks but there were still some that jutted out over a canyon the bridge had once spanned. She hopped down to a narrow path that snaked down the edge of the canyon. Wren peered over the edge as they walked, taking in the view of a river that ran about fifty meters below.

About halfway down they stopped at a crevice in the rock wall where a small waterfall cut into the walkway. Sisre squeezed through the opening and Wren followed into the darkness, their boots splashing in the shallow water until the cavern opened up with a stunning blue glow. Mushrooms covered most of the walls around the spring, illuminating the area with pale light.

Wren let out a small gasp. It was beautiful. The pool itself was rock lined with an outlet which spilled out as the little waterfall. The pool itself was deep enough that the surface didn't bubble up but it did have movement toward the overflow. It was about ten meters wide and nearly perfectly round and seemed to be about as deep with the exception of the spring itself which was a black hole near the far wall. The water was perfectly clear, revealing shelves not far beneath the surface where people could sit.

"Speechless?" Sisre giggled, stripping off her armor.

"I guess it'd be stupid for me to say I've never seen anything so beautiful before."

"Not stupid at all, but I get what you mean. Your experience is limited. Sometimes I forget how that feels."

Wren turned her back to Sisre, although the Titaness didn't seem to mind being nude in front of her. She could hear Sisre get into the water with a ripple and a laugh at how cold it was.

"It's nice though," Sisre assured. "With the heat and humidity around here, it's refreshing. I'll turn around if it makes you feel better."

Wren stripped down, covering herself as she quickly slipped into the water.

Sisre waited until she heard the water settle before turning around. "Holy shit, Wren. What happened to your chest?"

A large purple bruise blossomed across her sternum, spreading up to her collarbone and her breasts. She'd nearly forgotten her encounter with Flak in the tunnels. Her skin prickled with goose bumps but she continued to stare at the bruise even as Sisre came to sit beside her. What could she say?

"Did you get shot? I've never seen a bruise that big from a bullet."

"I-I don't really want to say," Wren said, looking away. "I mean, it's not a big deal."

"You know you can trust me. What happened?"

Wren hesitated. "If I tell you, it has to stay between us."

Sisre nodded.

"When we were exploring the tunnels Flak…"

"What did he do to you?"

"He suggested that I'm on this team because I did some sort of you know… favor… for Cayde."

Sisre's chartreuse eyes grew wide. "Wait, you mean a sexual favor? What in the—Cayde is an Exo. He doesn't even have the equipment for that. Exo don't have… or do they?"

"I don't know. Either way, Flak has it in his head that Cayde's playing favorites with me."

"Huh…"

"It's the Better Devils," Wren said, looking at the gun that lay on top of her armor. "I don't know how he figured out Cayde gave it to me, but he did."

"Well, that's kind of obvious. I mean, you're wearing base armor with a base Sparrow. Toting that thing around means someone high up had to give it to you."

"Did Cayde give it to me knowing it would make me a target?" Wren bristled.

"I highly doubt that. And I know he wouldn't have done it as a means to hurt you. Actually, I think you should tell him what Flak did. This is unacceptable."

"No!" Wren insisted. "I don't want him involved. I can handle Flak myself. If I prove I'm here for the right reasons, he'll leave me alone; I'm sure of it."

Sisre's mouth pulled into a tight line. "If it gets worse, I'm going to Cayde."

"Let me make that decision. Please."

"Fine," she sighed. "Hardheaded Hunter."

"It's a thing I guess."

"Sure is. By the way, good job out there earlier; going back for Franz. It's hard to get on the twins' good side, but it's worth it if you are."

"Twins? You mean Beorn and Franz?"

Sisre laughed. "They're obviously not really twins, but everyone calls them that. They were chosen at the same time. Woke up side by side. Of course, they don't know each other, but they thought it must have meant they were connected in life. They've been together ever since. Works well for them really."

"Like you and Rorick."

"I wish we'd clicked that easy. Ro goes by the book more than not and he's always about the greater good before the good of an individual. I respect that he's had to make some hard calls but when we first started out we butted heads a lot. I'm too emotional and he's too logical. We balance."

"Balance," Wren whispered. Made her realize that she didn't have anyone like that yet. But wasn't that the goal? To get out without getting too close to anyone? If it was, she already failed. She liked Sisre. Trusted her. Any idea she had to keep her distance from other Guardians was already shattered. But would she ever find someone to be her balance like Rorick and Sisre, or Franz and Beorn?

"Earth to Wren," Sisre said, waving her hand in front of Wren's face.

"Hmm? Sorry, just thinking."

"Well, get your hair washed so we can go. It'll be dark soon and I'd rather not run back in the dark and rain." She dunked her head under the cool water and Wren did the same.

By the time they got out of the spring, they were shivering. The heat of the day had subsided, bringing the cool of dusk. They scrubbed off their armor and put it in bags they had brought civilian clothes in, but they kept their weapons on them, just in case.

Outside the Moon was huge and full, but its silvery light wasn't bright enough to overtake the dying light of day. The canyon was painted in soft oranges and golds, deep purple shadows settled on the river below. The puffy white clouds were gone and the smell of rain was much heavier. The Moon was overshadowed by the time they reached the safehouse and by the time Sisre doused the light in their room and Wren was settled into her makeshift bed, the rain began. The first rain since Kiran had brought her back. It was so new, but so familiar all the same. Despite the hard floor, soon she was asleep.

It was still raining when dawn broke, but that didn't deter Rorick. He'd gathered them around a broken table in the entrance room on the main floor. A map, marked and detailed by hand but in much better condition than Cayde's, was rolled out on the table.

Wren listened intently as Rorick outlined their plan to rush the hill on the other side of an area called the Steppes, to take the old Skywatch. There was a road that snaked through a little valley, then up the other side, curving tight before ending up at a building called Lunar Complex they would have to pass through before getting to the Skywatch.

"We'll clear the Lunar Complex on the way through," Rorick said, tapping a thick finger on the map. "The Steppes should be clear for the most part, but scouts in the area reported Fallen activity outside of the Lunar Complex. They say the Fallen won't go in, but they aren't sure why."

"Could be guarding something," Sisre said. "With any luck it'll be loot."

"Leave anything you won't need here," Rorick said, rolling the map up and placing it back in its thick plastic tube.

"We're ready."

"Good. Let's head out."

Flak passed Wren on the way out the door, casting a cold glare down at her. Sisre stood straighter, and being only slightly shorter than Flak, he broke his eye contact with Wren. Surely he'd know now that Sisre knew about what had happened in the tunnels. He didn't look afraid however, but smug.

"I wanna make him swallow his own teeth," Sisre growled.

"Forget it," Wren said, stepping out ahead of Sisre. They put on their helmets and mounted their Sparrows. Their speed was impeded by the rain but they still kept a decent pace, weaving between buildings until the ruined town passed behind them and the grasses became more sparse.

It was more desert than Wren had been expecting, but the river that ran through the canyon must have made the area around it a sort of oasis. Silhouettes of buildings could be seen towering on the horizon. What had it been called? Lunar Complex. The place where humans had gone before the collapse to board ships for colonies on different plants. Oh how far that had fallen.

They rode for miles in silence and soon the rain slacked off. The sun peeked over the mountains in the distance, casting pale light over the sandy terrain and tufts of harsh grasses that managed to grow there. The silhouettes became more pronounced, easier to see in the clearer conditions until at last Wren could see huge painted letters that she couldn't recognize. The building itself looked like it had a massive loading bay that cut into the rocky terrain.

In her ear Kiran spoke, "Can you imagine what this place was like back then? It must have been amazing; people of all walks of life coming together for a life among the stars."

Wren nodded in agreement. It must have been quite a sight; a far cry from its dilapidated state.

The ancient road beneath them was more blank space than asphalt; the material cracking ages ago to be reclaimed by nature. They turned past the docking bay, up the slope, and into a wide plain where the rusted remains of a airplanes were scattered about; gutted, all of them.

Rorick sped up, taking a detour toward a wing of one of the planes that had bent over the years to touch the ground below. Wren's heart raced as she too sped up and over the wing, launching out on the other side, completely over the wing on the other side. The tail of the Sparrow touched the ground when she landed and Sisre laughed. Wren didn't care. It was that feeling of running she loved, like a pack of wolves, freely running across the landscape.

In the last hairpin turn, Rorick slowed and stopped, hopping off his Sparrow right before it vanished. The rest dismounted and he double checked his pulse rifle for ammo. Being satisfied he made the motion to move, his team falling into formation behind him. It felt natural to Wren, as if she'd done it before. Taking up the right side after Sisre, she moved in pace with them, the Better Devils gripped tight in her hands.

The scouts were right. A small band of Fallen stood outside the door to the complex. There were a few Vandals and a Captain, but none of the smaller Dregs that were so common. The Fallen hardly got any shots off before the Guardians dropped them where they stood. Weapons and ammo useless to them was left behind but there were a few engrams dropped by the Captain.

"We'll split the loot later," Sisre said, tucking the small blue engrams away.

The interior of the building was dark, broken lights flashed somewhere off in the hallway beyond. Light rods had been set up here and there, helping to guide the path along the crushed concrete and rebar flooring. Most of the doors were sealed off; either through locks, extreme damage, or heavy rust. They passed by them without much thought, driven forward with the goal of the Skywatch.

Only, something else happened.

Rorick stopped.

"What the—" he poked the muzzle of his pulse rifle at a Hive barnacle, firmly attached to the metal wall.

"Hive?" Sisre asked, coming up behind him.

"There's more," Wren said, moving past them. Kiran lit the hall with bright white light. The barnacles grew thicker toward the end of the hall.

"Hive on Earth? That's not good," Kiran said, disappearing in a flash of blue.

"Keep moving," Flak said, shoving his way past Wren.

Rorick set his jaw before he pushed his way ahead of Flak, flashing a glare at him as he did. He wasn't going to back down from his post and let someone as low as Flak to take point. Sisre trotted to catch up with him but Wren didn't pass him. She stayed a little farther back, away from Flak.

"Dregs," Rorick said, kneeling outside a wide doorway. He tossed a grenade in and turned his head. The explosion flared, shaking debris from the ceiling. The Dregs screeched, then fell silent and the team moved forward. They stopped at a gate, blocking them. Brix materialized and scanned the panel beside the door.

"The Fallen locked it. Just a minute and I'll have it open," Brix said. "I thought they wanted to keep us out, but it looks more like they're trying to keep the Hive in. Go with caution."

Beyond the door a stairwell led up to the right. The barnacles were thicker past the door, covering the walls, their slimy surfaces reflecting green Hive lanterns. Still the darkness prevailed and by the time they hit the top of the stairs, the light behind them was choked out. Rorick turned on a small light on his rifle and scanned it across the room. Their boots echoed from the walls and pillars but the silence beyond that stirred Wren's stomach.

From the left green eyes lit up. She turned and fired two rounds, one striking its target and the other embedding itself into the wall. Countless green eyes flashed around them to be met with the orange blaze of gunfire.

The sound was deafening; the explosions, the animalistic screams of Hive, yelling of the other Guardians. Chaos. Pure chaos. Wren wasn't even sure how many Hive she'd killed by the time the room fell back into silence, their bodies burning to ask before they even hist the floor. Wren breathed heavy into her helmet, heart pounding against her ribs.

"Keep moving," Rorick called and the team followed him up a few more flights of broken, bent stairs until they reached another room, separated off from a larger one with Thrall lurking around a control panel. "More Hive."

Wren reloaded her hand canon and breathed deep, steadying herself. She didn't want to admit that the heavy fighting was unnerving, leaving her lost in the chaos. She felt there wasn't any order to it at all, and yet she couldn't shake the familiarity.

"Wren, Flak, circle right. Sisre and I will go left," Rorick said, looking out into the rooms beyond. "There's a Wizard in there."

"Dammit," Sisre huffed.

"Wren clear the smaller Hive, then focus on the Wizard," Rorick instructed. "Headshots preferred."

"Got it."

"Good. Move."

Wren took off before Flak could, leading the way around the right side, behind the control panel. They picked of the few Thrall that lingered but their screeches alerted the others to the presence of the Guardians. Wren ran around the panel and a Void shot hit her square in the left side of her chest, knocking her back. Void fire burned into her armor, searing the skin underneath. She cried out, slapping the fire out while Flak unloaded his weapon into the Hive.

"Useless," he said before rushing out to join Sisre and Rorick who had taken the left side and were proceeding toward the Wizard.

Rage boiled in Wren's veins and she forced herself up, pushing the pain to the back of her mind as she followed him. Rorick cleared the remaining Acolytes while the others concentrated fire on the Wizard.

Useless.

Wren boosted high above the others, anger overtaking the pain as she threw a knife directly at the Wizard's head. She didn't know if it was her blade or one of the bullets ripping through the Wizard that finally took it down, but it didn't matter. The creature burst into smoldering ash.

Wren landed heavy, hitting her hands and knees, forehead to the floor. Her left arm shook and blood dripped along her armor.

"You okay?" Sisre asked, kneeling beside her.

"Yeah," Wren breathed, sitting up on her knees. A wave of Light washed over her and she immediately breathed deeper. The wound healed over, the pain fading away.

"You did good," Sisre assured.

"That was reckless," Rorick interjected. "Don't get too cocky."

Wren nodded. Flak was rigid and although she couldn't see his face, she knew he was furious. There was anxiety about his anger, but it took a backseat to satisfaction. He'd not call her useless if she had anything to say about it.

"Come on, we need to let Zavala know what we've run into here. He'll instruct us on how to proceed."

Rorick walked into another room and the others stayed behind to inspect the room. Most traces of the Hive were gone, except some barnacles here and there. The bodies had turned to ash which lay in small piles all over the room. Strange to think there had been aliens standing there only moments before. Wren nudged a pile with the toe of her boot.

"I wonder if we'll get called back," Sisre said, leaning against a wall. "Finding Hive on Earth wasn't in the game plan."

"I doubt we'll be recalled," Flak said. "It would be stupid to send us out here to investigate Fallen activity only to bring us back because of some Hive. They'll send us on and another fireteam'll check this place out."

Sisre hardly turned her helmet in Flak's direction and when neither of the women spoke to him, he turned and walked away.

"I can't treat him like he's anything but garbage," Sisre muttered. "And I still think you should talk to Cayde."

Rorick joined them and Flak came back to the group.

"Zavala wants us to push forward. If we cleared the complex there shouldn't be any issues here but he's going to send a scouting party to keep an eye on it, just in case. We're still on objective; figure out what the Fallen are after."

Sisre pushed off the wall and shouldered her way past Flak. Rorick turned his helmet toward Wren but without seeing his expression she couldn't tell what was going through his head. He didn't speak and caught up with Sisre quickly, his long stride overtaking hers. Wren refused to look at Flak, trotting to make pace with the taller Titans.

Out in the bright sunlight the Steppes were empty and quickly drying in the heat of the sun. Rorick mounted his Sparrow.

"We're heading to the Forgotten Shore. Zavala says new intel has most of the Fallen presence over there."

They headed back the way they came and took a wide path through a canyon where a river cut through the rock. Their reflections shone back at them as they sped over the shallow water, over rapids, and wound their way almost to the end where the river spilled out into a larger body of water.

But there was no time to admire the landscape. Fallen fired on them from a long-beached ship, split in half. Rorick lead the charge, sailing by with one hand firing his pulse rifle at Dregs that left the safety of the ship's broken hull.

"Shoot the Shanks!" he yelled from the front, but Wren hesitated. "The floating things," he elaborated, a twinge of irritation in his voice.

Wren's cheeks flushed behind her helmet and she sat up, firing at the Shanks. Riding and engaging them was harder than she anticipated, and she missed a few shots, the bullets whizzing by them but through her struggle one by one they dropped. The team curved right on the far side of the ship, dismounting on the shore.

Sisre slung her sniper rifle from over her shoulder and set up on a rock close by. "We got a Captain," she said, her voice calm and steady as she adjusted her weapon.

"Where?" Rorick asked, tearing a Dreg to shreds with two bursts of his rifle.

"Up the hill. By those ruins."

"Take him out. There's another signal coming from up there."

"Got it," she said, taking aim.

Rorick led the others into the hull of the ship where they cleared a few more Dregs and Vandals. Wren boosted up to the next floor where Rorick and Brix were scanning the amplifier when the sound like thunder erupted from the sniper rifle, reverberating through the metal structure. In the distance a creature cried out but with one more shot the sound stopped.

"The signal is distorted," Brix said. "I'm not sure what it is or where it's coming from, but it's not Fallen."

"We'll head up to the next one," Rorick said and Brix nodded before disappearing.

They didn't bother with their Sparrows for the short distance up the hill to meet with Sisre, who after felling the Captain, took it upon herself to move forward and clear the ruins. Wren half expected Rorick to reprimand her, but he said nothing as she passed to let Brix inspect the next transmitter.

The Ghost didn't take long. "It's the same transmission. I can't pinpoint what it is, but both transmitters are linked into something at the Skywatch. We have to go back there."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

"Alright, you heard him," Rorick said. "Mount up. We're headed back to Skywatch."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"These things better be worth it," Flak huffed, his chest piece rising and falling rapidly, a satchel of dead Ghosts at his belt.

"We'll see soon enough," Rorick said, stepping over the bodies of Fallen who had been guarding the control panel. Brix floated along and Kiran appeared over Wren's shoulder. His shell rotated quickly around him and he was focused on Brix. Somehow Wren could tell he was anxious. He wanted to be useful.

Wren tapped him and he turned to her, blinked, then vanished. He would have plenty of chances to decode things once they were allowed to go on missions alone.

"Would'ya look at that," Sisre breathed, moving closer to the entrance where a massive Array was lifting free of its housing. "It actually worked."

Her amusement was short lived. The sky split open in a flash of green and a Hive ship moved through the rift. She backed up again, closer to the team, scout rifle at the ready.

"Brix isn't finished," Rorick said. "Defend him."

Hive dropped from the ship and rushed the hanger without a shred of fear.

"Grenades!" Rorick shouted and the team flung their grenades toward the wall of Thrall, turning them to ash to be trampled by the second line.

They came so quickly and in so many numbers that fireteam Cerulean was forced back toward the control panel. Rorick ran in front of the team, his body pulsing with Void energy moments before a bubble formed over the group.

Wren gasped in awe, too quiet for the others to hear as energy rounds splashed across the surface of the bubble.

"You'll learn how to use your light soon," Kiran said in her helmet.

Behind the Hive ships the Array continued to unfold into an enormous dish, but the ships didn't bother to fire at it. Instead bolts of Void energy were shot into the bay where the Guardians were defending Brix.

"It won't hold forever," Flak said before rushing out toward a Wizard, grenade at the ready. He flung the Arc grenade but as he drew back he opened up the perfect spot on his chest and was struck by a Void shot from one of the ships. His body dropped to the ground, unmoving, and although Wren despised him, her heart dropped into her stomach.

"Idiot!" Sisre yelled.

Rorick and Sisre concentrated fire on the Wizard until she screeched and burst into flame. The bubble around them faded and they scattered before the next shots hit the floor near where Flak's Ghost hovered in a wall of light and rotating shell.

"Wren, the Darkness is too strong here. Go lend him your light. Fool as he is, we'll need him alive," Rorick said. Sisre whipped her head around to the other Titan but he didn't seem to notice. "We'll cover you. Just go put your hand in his Ghosts' Light. He'll take care of the rest."

Wren hesitated. Why did she always have to help Flak? But she didn't want to argue about it; doing so would create more problems than it would solve. Hands shaking she ran out from the relative shelter of the hanger and put her hand within the Ghosts' Light. She could feel her own Light draining, ever so slightly, and within seconds Flak materialized, his boots hitting the floor with a thud as Knights fired on them with Arc Boomers.

Wren didn't wait for him to get his bearings. As soon as he was up, she ran for cover, turning inside the door to shoot at the Knight, who was smart enough to keep his distance. She dropped to one knee, steadying her aim for a headshot. The rounds landed, ripping their way through the insect-like skin of the Knight, but still it kept firing. She was getting frustrated when the thundering sound of a sniper round made her jump. The Knight's head jerked back and it faded to ash.

"That's it," Brix said at last. "It's being controlled by Rasputin. He won't let me in, but the Array is connected to defense constructs all across the solar system."

"Rasuptin?" Wren asked.

"He was—Is a Warmind," Sisre said. "Before the Collapse, the military designed the Warminds for defense. I didn't think any of them survived."

"But he has," Rorick said. "If we can find Rasputin, maybe we can use him to defend ourselves against the Darkness. Zavala and the Speaker need to know about this. It's about time we go home."

Home.

A warm bed, a decent meal, and a shower. Oh how Wren was ready for it. Running was all fun and games, but no one could run forever. Cerulean trudged through the hanger toward the courtyard where other Guardians were coming and going from missions, packing their things away in the Vault, getting weapons repaired, or simply loitering around in their free time.

"I'll meet with the Vanguard. The rest of you rest up," Rorick said and Flak immediately left without a word. Sisre chose to stick with Rorick, and Wren felt perhaps she should do the same. She wanted to see the look on Cayde's face when they walked in victorious.

She wasn't disappointed. He stood a little straighter when they approached, blue eyes glancing at the hole in Wren's armor where she'd been shot. The wound was long healed but her skin was exposed and blood had caked and dried along the chest piece and the upper part of her grips. The armor might be beyond repair, but she was no worse for wear; standing with her head held high. She was proud of her team. Proud of herself.

The Vanguard were surprised at the news of Rasputin and promised to discuss what to be done next before dismissing them. It was a short meeting and Wren hadn't been required to speak, but as far as she was concerned, her presence spoke volumes. Little by little, she would prove that's he was worthy of being a Guardian, even if she didn't know what that meant for her as an individual yet.

Out in the courtyard Rorick and Sisre said their goodbyes to Wren and made their way toward their own rooms, leaving her alone at the top of the stairs. All around her Guardians walked, talked, laughed with their friends and teammates. She rubbed her elbow with one hand and looked around, trying to decide what to do when she heard Cayde behind her.

"Hey, Gull! Got a minute?"

"It's Wren."

"Ya know, you sure do say your own name a lot. Look, I know you're new so I'll give ya the run down. All that loot your team collected'll be sorted out and left in the Vault for you. For now, here's your Glimmer. Go buy yourself somethin' nice."

He dropped a bag of Glimmer in her hand and she thanked him, not missing his gaze shift to her damaged armor before going back to her eyes with a smirk.

"Your're doin' great kid. Oh, one more thing before you go."

"Yeah?"

"How's Flak?"

Wren hesitated. Did Cayde know what had happened? She didn't want to believe that Sisre had said anything, and when would she have had the time? She would have had to talk to Rorick… no, not Sisre. "Uh, he's fine I guess."

Cayde stared her down but nodded after a time. "Alright. Well, he's not really fit in anywhere else. Cerulean was the last ditch effort to get him into a team."

"Oh… I see."

"Well, if you have any trouble out of him, you let me know."

"Sure," Wren agreed, knowing it was already a lie.

"Alright well, the night is young and you, my friend, are still free to roam around. Use that freedom wisely and whatever you do, never take a dare."

"A what?"

"Forget it kid. Go enjoy yourself. And don't do anything I wouldn't do. Or… you know, anything I would do."

Wren returned hours later, repaired armor in a bag slung over her shoulder. It felt good to breath and move without the weight of it. She'd picked up a black dress while in the city, needing something to wear while her armor was being fixed. She loved it. The woman who owned the stall said it was her interpretation of an ancient dress called a qipao. She had said that someone long ago had brought back engrams with instructions on making clothing from before the Collapse, but the data was damaged and she only got so much from it. Wren had listened to the old woman's story and for a willing ear, the woman had fit the dress for Wren without charging her for it.

It was simple enough in design; solid black cotton with white water lily pattern around the shoulders and neck. There was a cut out across her chest and a slit halfway up her thigh, the whole thing trimmed in white with matching black flat soled shoes. It made Wren feel more comfortable than she had since Kiran had brought her back to life.

The Moon was high overhead and most of the Guardians had left for the night. Shops were closed up, with the exception of Banshee who was cleaning the same gun he'd been fussing over since before Wren left. She heard that as an Exo his mind had been wiped so much that he couldn't remember things sometimes. Had he forgotten how long he'd been cleaning the same gun?

She considered going over to him to see but couldn't think of any benefit for it. She didn't want to make things awkward and he looked relaxed. Maybe he just enjoyed it.

Someone else caught her attention though, standing alone at the edge of the balcony overlooking the city below. His cloak swayed with the breeze, but he remained stone still.

Cayde.

She walked over to him and set her bag down by the railing. The City sprawled out below them in a sea of lights. Even in the night the glow reflected from the underside of the Traveler. It was beautiful but it was missing something.

"It's pretty," she said, suddenly realizing she had nothing to say to him.

"Yeah," he glanced over at her. "Nice dress."

"Thanks."

He leaned on the railing, his Ghost hanging over his shoulder, silently watching the world below. He wasn't as talkative as he'd been the past few times she'd encountered him and his silence was heavy on her shoulders. Maybe she'd overstepped her bounds and it was time to retreat.

"If you're not in the mood to talk that's alright. I didn't mean to intrude. I'll see you around," Wren said, picking her bag up.

"No, it's okay, really. You're still new but sleep can be kinda hard to come by for Hunters and being an Exo… well, let's say, I don't have an off switch."

Wren watched him carefully. He wasn't looking at her, but out to the sea of lights. Maybe he was missing something. Staring out at the clustered buildings, narrow alleys, crowded stalls, she realized what was missing from her own view of it; freedom. The space needed to run. She remembered something Sisre had told her, a secret spot to get away from it all if she ever needed a break. Behind them the top of the Tower stretched higher into the sky and Sisre told her that she could look out over the forest and mountains beyond the wall. But was it safe to show Cayde? He wasn't like the other Vanguard.

She chewed her lip. "I think I know what you need."

He cocked his head to the side. "Bet a hundred Glimmer you don't."

Wren rolled her eyes. "Can't you leave Glimmer out of it for a minute? Follow me."

Whether he did or not she was going to check it out herself, but when she heard his footsteps behind her she knew he was curious enough to follow. She set her bag down behind some stairs, hidden from view and scrambled up some boxes to put herself closer to a ledge overhead. On her toes she could barely reach it but with a good jump she managed to hook her elbows over the top, legs dangling. The slit in the dress allowed for movement, but still she struggled, afraid the skirt might ride up too high.

Wren cursed under her breath, wondering how she would get herself up when Cayde grabbed the soles of her feet and launched her up. She gasped and fell to her side on the ledge, then scoot out of the way while Cayde hopped up with ease.

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled, shuffling sideways across the ledge until she found an old service door. Sisre had told her it only looked like it was still bolted into place but the bolts had rusted and only the heads were still attached to the outside of the door.

Someone moved below them and Wren froze. The Ghosts disappeared but not fast enough, their light catching the Warlock's attention. He turned and looked up at the pair of Hunters, standing on a ledge high above him.

"Move along. Nothing to see here, Warlock." Cayde put a hand on one hip and waved the Warlock on with one hand. Wren hid her face.

"Hunters," the Warlock huffed, shook his head, and went about his business.

Wren looked over at Cayde, who was grinning widely, his eyes a brighter blue than they had been before.

"Think you're so smooth, don't you?"

"Aww, thanks for noticing."

Stifling a giggle, she pushed the door out of the way, crouched, and moved through.

Behind the door was a narrow stairwell, littered with papers, browned with age, scraps of boxes, and some broken lanterns. Wren stepped over a coil of cables and ascended the stairs, Kiran and Cayde's Ghosts' lights illuminating the path. At the top was a hatch that looked to be welded shut but one swift hit with her shoulder and it popped open.

The wind was much harsher on the roof of the tower, whipping Wren's dress around her legs. She held the slit together on the side and walked toward the edge. The sky opened up before her, leaving the glow of the city behind in favor of stars and a silver moon. A dark forest stretched far below toward mountains in the distance. Wren looked over the edge of the Tower, the sheer back dropping so far below it made her dizzy. Wind rushed up the side and she felt she couldn't breathe, but there was something exhilarating about it.

Cayde let out a long, low whistle as he came up beside her.

"I don't know much about being a Hunter yet," Wren said. "But I do know that feeling that I want to run. I always want to run. Not like, literally, but a need to move on to the next thing. I can look out over the city and admire its beauty. I can walk in the streets and appreciate the stalls and the smells and the people, but I don't feel any sense of being home there. I don't have any sense of being home anywhere yet; not other than just a word. This," she said, sweeping and hand toward the wilds, "this is what draws me. I'm terrified of what's out there. Of what's lurking in the shadows of the trees but I can't stop myself wanting to face it."

Her face flushed when she realized she'd been rambling and he was staring her down without saying a word. She looked away toward the woods and he took a seat, hanging his legs over the edge of the Tower, leaning against the railing.

"C'mon, kid," he said, patting the roof beside him.

Wren smoothed her dress under her legs and sat down, tucking it under her thighs to keep the wind from blowing it up. She too leaned onto the railing, sneaking a glance at him but he had his eyes turned toward the mountains.

"So. How'd you like the Sparrow?"

"Well, you weren't lying when you said it was ugly," she smirked. "But it ran great."

"Didn't I tell ya she runs like a dream? Let me tell you about the first time I rode a Sparrow. It was just some old junked out thing; a hand me down. But I scraped the paint off it and put some sweet flames across the front. I remember being told, I don't remember by who, to take it slow in the corners."

"Kiran told me that," Wren said.

"Did you listen?"

"Yeah, it was that first dismount that got me," she admitted.

"Then you've already got one more brain cell than me. Well… brain cell… you get what I mean. Anyway, I didn't listen and we were heading out for a cache we'd heard about on Earth. So we're racin' long in these narrow canyons, flyin' over the water, and someone said they bet they could make it there first… can't remember who…"

"Probably you."

"Fair. But whoever it was called it out and the race began! I was whippin' that thing around like I stole it. In one part, the canyon sloped up real sharp like this," he said, curving his hand upward. "You could tell a lot of Sparrows had been up on that wall cuz it was smoother than the rest of the cliff. So this guy, think his name was Rack or Rock… or Stone… I don't remember. Well, Stone was low in the river, takin' up almost the whole thing where it got narrow and I decided that I was going to drift up the side of that slope and ride over him."

"Sounds like a well thought out plan," Wren giggled.

"Very well thought out."

"And the execution?" she asked, leaning forward on her arms to watch his expressions.

"That's where it got sloppy. I gunned it right? All was smooth until I shifted my weight a little too far. I rolled so hard it flung the Sparrow right at Stone, took em' both out; him and his Sparrow I mean. I almost lost my arm, fell in the river, got run over by two more Sparrows, and when I got back the Shipwright 'bout had my head for those two Sparrows I wrecked. If it would have been Holliday I wouldn't be sitting here," he chuckled.

A look of happy nostalgia washed over his face while he told his story but as soon as it was done, the smile faded, no longer reaching his eyes, which adjusted their focus in minute movements.

"You really like to ride."

"That's one way of putting it. See, a Sparrow is important for any Guardian. Fastest way from point A to point B. But for a Hunter… it's somethin' else. It's freedom when you're alone and the intense feeling of runnin' with the wolves when you're in a group."

Wren propped her chin on her arms to look out over the moonlit wilds. "When was the last time you rode?"

"It's been awhile. A long while. Being Vanguard means I don't get out much these days. I stay here at the Tower or down in the City most of the time."

"Well, why don't we go? You're not busy now, right? I mean, you're just sitting here telling old stories. Why

not go out there, beyond the wall."

He didn't reply at first, but seemed to be mulling it over until at last he nodded and they both stood. "I'll grab my Sparrow and meet you at the gate in twenty," he said, turning to leave when he stopped in his tracks.

Sisre had the hatch pushed over her head, a sly smirk on her face. Chartreuse eyes glittered mischievously.

"Thought I might find you up here, Wren," her gaze slid over to Cayde and she raised a brow. "You, however, are a surprise."

"And the best kind of surprise," he said, side stepping toward the hatch, stuck between Sisre and Wren.

"Sorry, Wren, but we're headed out again. Grab your stuff and stock up. We leave in a half an hour."

"So soon?"

"Yup. You'll have to sleep in your ship on the way."

"Ok, I'll be down in a minute."

Sisre locked eyes with Cayde as she sank back into the stairwell and disappeared.

"I guess I'll have to take a rain check on the Sparrow ride," Wren said. "Well, I mean, I guess you could go by yourself."

"I could," he shrugged, "I am pretty great company. I think I'll hold off though. Oh, and Duck? You were right. I needed this."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Back to the Moon. Wren was beginning to hate it. Looking at it from Earth was becoming preferable to standing on it's cold, pale surface. It reflected the sun, creating a blinding white landscape, far from the forests she wished to explore. But the Hive were a problem the Vanguard wanted investigated as soon as possible, and so Cerulean found themselves preparing to track down a lost Guardian.

"We gave up the Moon so the Hive would leave Earth alone," Kiran explained.

"That worked well," Wren sighed, snapping a clip into her hand cannon.

"I used to look up here and wonder what they were doing. Never could get a clear signal."

"What about last time we were here? You pick anything up then."

"No. Not really. To be fair, we were busy."

"That we were," Wren smiled and Kiran vanished as Rorick and the others approached her.

"Brix says the lost Guardian's last signal was picked up near here," Rorick said. "He was looking for a way into that Hive base we found through the caves."

"Are we going back down there?" Franz asked.

"No. A scout in the area already figured out where he was headed but that scout's gone back to the Tower. It's up to us to track the Guardian to a place called the Temple of Crota."

"I don't like the sound of that," Beorn said.

"We'll be headed right back into the waves of Hive," Sisre said.

"Let's saddle up then," Franz said and Sparrows began to materialize before them.

Wren could feel eyes on her and without looking she knew it was Flak. Her skin crawled and she gunned her Sparrow to ride next to Sisre. The Titaness turned her head and nodded at Wren, giving her a thumbs up. Franz and Beorn came in close behind them, leaving Flak to ride in the back.

Rorick led them over the ridge toward the base they had taken shelter in before. The lost Guardian, when had he been there? Was it in the days they were stuck in the tunnels, looking for an escape? Was he a scout, sent to find where the missing fireteam had gone? The Vanguard hadn't mentioned it if that was the case.

With a hand signal the group headed along the right side of the crater wall toward a narrow canyon, the same one where Wren and Sisre had found Rorick. How close had they been? They dismounted and continued through the canyon on foot, ready and waiting for hordes of Hive like they had seen before, but there were none. The canyon was quiet, empty, with the exception of a body laying down by the massive Hive door at the far end.

This time Wren allowed herself to lag at the back of the group, Flak passing her without a second glance. They holstered their weapons or slung them over their shoulders as they went forward to investigate the body.

"He's dead," Kiran said.

"Dead?"

"Yes. His Light is gone and his Ghost…" Kiran paused. "I don't feel his Ghost around."

The hair on the back of Wren's neck stood on end and she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She turned around and on the ridge above was an Exo, glowing eyes staring her down. Before Wren could speak a sound behind her caught her attention.

The seals glowed yellow and began to break, allowing the door to open. Wren whipped back around to see the Exo, but she was gone.

"C'mon Wren," Sisre called as a wave of Thrall and Acolytes poured through the opening door.

Wren took one more look at the empty ridge and ran down the hill with her team, taking a spot behind a rock near Beorn and Franz. Thrall rushed them from the right, their pale, papery skin reflecting the white light of the Moon when they ran free of their tunnels and caves. They flashed and burned as quickly, scattering as ash while other charged ahead blindly.

Explosions flashed behind them as the other cleared the Knights from the entrance. She didn't even hear the Thrall behind her before one of them yanked her down by her cloak, its claws shredding into the material and tightening it around her throat. She gagged and fell to her back, engulfed by a mass of Thrall. The Better Devils was knocked from her grip and kicked away by scurrying feet as Thrall began to burst into flame over her. She covered her face with her arms keeping them away from bullets flying from every direction into the Thrall.

The last of them screamed and she rolled to her side, through their ashes, to clutch her hand cannon tightly to her chest. There she knelt, catching her breath until Franz and Beorn pulled her to her feet and slapped her back.

"Cloaks are dangerous," Franz jabbed.

"Did anyone see that Exo up there?" she asked, pointing toward the ridge.

"You saw someone up there?" Beorn asked.

"Yeah she was looking right at me."

"Are you sure it wasn't just… a shadow? A glimpse in battle?"

"No, I saw her before the door opened."

Beorn's faceplate turned toward her, then to the ridge and back. He didn't seem to believe her. "Well, whatever it was is gone now."

"Let's move," Rorick called.

"We should go," Kiran said. "I saw the Exo stranger too, but there's a dying Light in there. We have to find that Ghost."

Wren followed them down the hill and through the door into a large round room with a staircase hugging close to the walls. The platform ahead had two massive columns rising toward the ceiling, curving inward near the top. Two red Hive banners hung on either side and the middle framed glowing lights embedded in the walls.

A shadow rose across the room, a shadow blocking out the lights. Arc energy erupted from the Wizard's hands and it screamed as the blasts rained down on the Guardians.

"Flak," Rorick yelled, "get that Wizard."

The Hunter nodded and ran forward, his body crackling with flames, a fiery gun in his hand. A powerful blast flashed across the room and landed in the Wizard's neck, beheading her before her body crumbled. The fire disappeared and he brandished his usual hand cannon, following Rorick up the stairs to the right. His helmet turned toward her when he passed, and her fists clenched tight around the Better Devils.

"You can do that too," Kiran said. "You just have to learn how to use your Light. You can form it into throwing knives as well. It takes energy so you have to use it wisely. We'll practice sometime."

Brix appeared over Rorick's outstretched hand and began to scan the Ghost. "It's dead," he said quietly. "I can still read some of its memories, however. It seemed the Hive are raising an army."

"To invade Earth?" Rorick asked.

"Yes."

"We can't let that happen," Beorn said.

"There seems to be something called The World's Grave," Brix said. "The Hive keep all of their information about Earth there. Get us down there and between us Ghosts, we can steal the information we need."

"The Hive have a library?" Franz asked, unconvinced.

"I've heard about The World's Grave," Beorn said. "Well, sort of. Not by name, but there was a scout who mentioned the Hive plotting to take over Earth."

"And you never mentioned it to anyone?" Rorick asked.

"He's not exactly a respectable source of information. He spends as much time drowning in alcohol as he does in the wilds."

Wren walked to the edge of the platform and down into a doorway that led deeper into the fortress. "I guess we go down then?"

"We go down, but not here," Brix said. "I'm seeing some flashes of a Knight that guards the library. Its name is Kranox, the Graven. It doesn't seem too powerful, but we'll still have to defeat it before we can access their information."

"There must be a way from here to the Grave," Rorick said.

"I'm sure there is, but we don't have time to find it. There must have been something down there that drew him to this Temple, but until we can get to that information ourselves, we're in the dark. I did, however, get a clear path to the World Grave through the other entrance. We should head there."

"Alright. Where is it?"

"There was an observatory that we passed on the way here. We cut through that and down into the canyon and we'll be right at the door."

"All these canyons look the same," Franz complained, just loud enough for Beorn and Wren to hear. Dead Fallen troops lay silently at their feet at the edge of what used to be a domed building built into the rock. Most of the observatory was gone, leaving gaping holes on their side.

They passed through without incident, picking up Glimmer and a couple of engrams to be decoded at the Tower and split among the team. Wren silently wished she could do a few missions alone to reap the rewards for herself. Perhaps a Hunter's greed rearing its ugly head. She tried not to think about it.

A single Knight guarded the entrance, pacing back and forth as it hadn't yet seen the team of Guardians at the top of the hill. Sisre knelt behind a rock and set up to take her shot. Wren let her attention drift to the sliver of Earth visible over the end of the canyon, looming above a glowing Hive symbol carved into the stone. Green and blues of Earth could hardly be seen, its black shadow blocking out light from stars. A flash of curiosity as to what Cayde was up to was broken by the shot that tore into the Knight's chest. It let out a scream and a black shield popped up in front of it, blocking another shot.

"Dammit," Sisre growled, bolting another round.

"Losing your touch?" Rorick joked, his voice flat.

"I don't know, why don't you go down there and put a Glimmer on your head. We'll see if I can knock it off. If I can, I keep it."

"Not really fair if you get to keep it either way."

"Don't forget to include the Hunters," Franz said, jabbing a thumb at Wren and Flak. She hadn't realized how close he was standing and shifted her weight away from him. "You'll win more Glimmer that way."

Sisre fired another shot as soon as the Knight's shield fell and he was gone just as quickly.

Easy enough.

The door was already open and the Guardians let themselves in, running down through the halls and stairs. Nothing she'd seen of the Hive seemed finished; broken pillars, piles of rubble near the walls, and sections of floor where honeycomb shaped tiles came to a sudden stop. Huge lanterns appeared to be tossed here and there, some half embedded in rocks.

They came out into a large cylindrical area with a pillar in the middle, the path winding down around it in a spiral. Wren crossed the stairs that acted as a bridge to the ramp and they delved deeper into the pit until at last they hit the bottom where they waded across a pool of water.

"The Hive have been busy," Kiran said. "There are tunnels and catacombs all over. I wonder how much of the Moon they've hollowed out."

"What is this?" Sisre whispered as the hall opened to a massive cavern. A platform that curved around the left side, leading to a circular platform before easing over into the next cavern where an ornate lantern had been carved and hung from the ceiling.

Wren eased to the edge and looked down, her heart in her throat at the thought of falling forever.

"Get a little closer," Flak whispered lightly as he passed and Wren backed away from the edge.

"You need to tell Cayde about him," Kiran said.

"He'll get tired of it if I don't react," Wren whispered and caught up with the group who were making short work of Acolytes. "Besides, I already told him things are fine. If I go back on that now, he'll wonder why I hid it in the first place."

"He's dangerous."

"He won't kill me, Kiran," Wren said, running right, toward the edge of the platform. A wizard popped up under the massive hanging light, a fog of black shadow engulfing her and stopping Wren in her tracks.

"He might not but there are other terrible things he could do."

Goosebumps formed under Wren's armor but she didn't reply, pushing the conversation aside to focus on the Wizard launching energy from inside her poison cloud. A wailing scream made her flinch and look around for its source. The sing song sound of it made her flesh crawl but it didn't seem like a noise any of the Wizards had made before.

"Dammit." Rorick came up beside her as the poison cloud dissipated, more slowly than the body had crumbled. "Shrieker. Remind me to bring a rocket launcher next time," he said as Sisre joined them.

"You want me to pick it off from here?"

"I do," he said. "Go ahead and set up for the shot. I'll head closer and get it to open up."

"All due respect," Sisre said, "you're slow. You'll get shot by it for sure."

"I'll go," Wren said. "I see a place over there I can get into."

Rorick looked down at her and hesitated.

"I can do it," she insisted.

"Alright. But keep your head down."

"Let me go instead," Flak said. "She's too small, she'll only get killed and we'll have to take the time to res her."

"Screw off, Flak," Sisre snapped. "She'll be fine."

Wren's blood boiled but she clenched her jaw to keep from lashing out at him, glad that her face was hidden. The others practically towered over her, even Sisre, but that didn't mean she was incapable of being useful to the team.

"Go ahead," Rorick said. "We'll cover you. When it's down, you need to run back to us. The death blast it emits will kill you if you're not fast enough. If we can make it back far enough and fast enough, we'll be fine."

The Shrieker was closed up tight, a floating rock in appearance. Wren sprinted across the narrow bridge, eyes on the hole that only she was small enough to squeeze in to. The Shrieker opened wide before she was off the bridge and began to fire Void charges at Wren. Splashes of Void energy burned through the thinner parts of Wren's armor, singeing holes in what was left of her cloak.

She slid into the hole before bright blast landed a few feet outside. Another sing song scream sounded, more enraged than the last, as Sisre's sniper rounds tore into the energy core of the Shrieker. Franz gave her a thumbs up from the other side of the bridge before taking shelter with the others behind rocks and barricades. Rorick stood beside Sisre with his auto rifle, shooting along with her to keep the Shrieker open and attacking until at last they succeeded. The Shrieker fell to pieces, its death blast seeking targets all around.

Wren bolted from her spot and across the bridge. Sisre and the others retreated but Rorick stayed at the other side of the bridge until Wren passed him and the two of them retreated with the rest. They turned around to see the blasts fizzling out. Her heart pounded against her ribs but they were safe. For now.

"The Darkness is heavy here," Rorick said as they neared an area that looked like a cage with intricate bars.

Wren could feel it, a weight on her shoulders, pushing her down, constricting her breathing, if only just a little. Dying here would complicate things but she felt confident that it wouldn't be a problem. They'd snuck closer to the bars and peered in. It would seem the Knight wasn't much above average.

"Strange they would choose this Knight to guard such a huge secret," Kiran said and Wren had to agree. He was big, but not much more than any other she'd seen. What was special about this one?

Nothing. It fell with ease, pieces of its armor falling to the ground along with a smooth green key that fit in Rorick's palm. The interior swirled, as if it contained water or smoke and was contained within a glass orb. He dropped it in a pouch and they moved forward, winding their way through carved rooms, crude, narrow caves, arched doorways, and crooked pillars until at last they came to a room with a pool below the platform they came in on. Acolytes knelt in the water and faced some sort of control panel at the other side of the room, as if they were worshiping it. More Acolytes surrounded the panel, lifting their weapons high over their heads, but none of them moved.

Franz moved forward slowly, descending the stairs and passing by the first Acolyte. "What the hell?"

The creature whipped its head at him and screeched. The room erupted into motion, Acolytes turning on Franz as a group. Wren fired at the closest Acolyte to Franz and Beorn ran down beside him, the pair of them working together as a unit to bring down the Hive closest to them. Flak and Rorick jumped into the water below, rushing the control panel with auto rifle and hand cannons blazing. Sisre kept her position by the door, picking off Acolytes one at a time until the path was clear.

It wasn't what Wren had been expecting. She thought it would be books, old world thinking maybe.

"This is it," Brix said, circling the control panel. "The World's Grave. We'll steal what we can but you'll have to watch out, the Hive will come as soon as they realize we've accessed their systems."

"Understood," Rorick said. "Guard the Ghosts at all costs."

Kiran and the other Ghosts zoomed across the room to the panel, each of them finding an area to hack and strip the library of any information they could find. It made her uncomfortable, him being across the room and away from her. If he was killed by a Hive, like that poor lost Guardian and his Ghost…

"What's that?" Beorn asked as a boiling sound came from the pool.

Wren turned her gun toward the water, and it rippled with bubbles. Thrall and their Cursed brethren rose from the dark water. Sisre cried out, a Knight knocking her over as it charged into the room. Her sniper rifle skittered out of her grasp and into the pool below. She rolled over and sprang to her feet, her body crackling with Arc energy. She leapt into the air and came down with nothing short of a war cry, electricity bursting out when her fists hit the ground. The Knight's body sparked and exploded but Sisre didn't wait, she rushed toward the other Knights, focusing on the larger enemies before her energy was spent.

A Knight rose from the churning waters and back handed Wren into the water. A round from the Better Devils slammed into the Knight's head and it stumbled back for Franz to finish off. Water soaked Wren's cloak, weighing it down. She unclasped it with one hand and let it drop, heavy into the pool. It was ruined anyway, shredded by Thrall claws and burned by Void energy. Still she felt a sense of loss at leaving it behind but she had to push forward. Two Knights had taken to the platform where the control panel stood. Flak and Rorick kept them at bay but the Thrall were swatting their long hands at the Ghosts in a way that made Wren's stomach turn flips.

She flung a blade at the nearest and shot into the group of others. Flak and Rorick led the Knights around the back of the panel, out of the way of the Ghosts. Wren threw a tracking grenade that felled the Thrall an instant before she was thrown forward from an explosion from behind. She slid across to the base of the control panel, ears ringing.

"Sorry!" Franz called, waving at her from across the cleared room. "I didn't think it was that close to you."

Wren stood and Flak and Rorick came around from the back of the panel, reloading their weapons but keeping them at ease. Brix and the others backed away from the console and disappeared. Wren breathed at ease with Kiran safely tucked away.

"There's so much information here," Brix said. "We can't hold it all but I think we learned all we could. We need to return to the Tower and warn the others."

"Anyone else get the feeling that we're being drawn into something much bigger than ourselves?" Beorn asked.

They stared at Brix and the control panel, a deeply unsettling feeling digging deep into Wren's bones.

Rain drenched the city, pelting the tower. Banners whipped in the wind, leaves plastered to the walls from the tree that grew in the courtyard. The shops were closed up tight against the rain, even Banshee was gone, his weapons locked away safe from the rain. Guardians trotted across the courtyard toward their barracks to get out of the weather, but fireteam Cerulean descended into command center.

Wren's hair stuck to her face and dripped into her eyes. They'd landed just in time. The wind had made it difficult for them to land in the hanger and all flight into and out of the city had been postponed until the storm settled down. Sisre had joked with Wren about finding a better ship or the next time her old craft might rattle to pieces. She'd not considered the ship's structural integrity until that point.

Inside the command center was much warmer than outside, the sounds of the rain mostly drowned out. It pattered against the glass behind Zavala, but the position of the window blocked most of the rain. Debris flew by the window despite the height and lightning flashed in the distance.

Cayde caught Wren's eye first but he wasn't looking at her, but instead had his eyes locked on Flak. Any softness she had seen in his face before was gone and she glanced at Sisre. Had she said something? No, when would she? When had she had the time? Wren decided to ask when she got the chance. Zavala looked up at them, straightening himself as they neared the other end of the table. Wren pushed her soaking hair away from her face as Ikora welcomed them.

"What did you find on the Moon?" she asked.

"The Guardian we were sent to find was dead," Rorick said. Zavala dropped his head. It was one of his Titans that had fallen to the Hive. "But he didn't die in vain. His Ghost held information about a place called the Temple of Crota and a library; the World's Grave. The Hive have been seeding the Earth for years, collecting information from any source they can find. They plan on taking over Earth."

"Someone wake Master Rahool and bring him here," Zavala said and one of the attendants left. "This team has become quite promising. Rorick, gather a list of supplies your team needs before you leave again and I'll make sure you get what you need."

"We don't require much, Commander. Sisre lost her sniper rifle and Wren could use a better ship."

"And a cloak," Cayde said, side eyeing Wren. Was he amused?

"When the storm settles go to Banshee and Holliday and get what you need," Zavala said, ignoring the cloak comment from Cayde.

Master Rahool and the attendant returned, the bottom of the Cryptarch's robes soaked. They left umbrella's by the door and he joined Zavala with a small nod. "You sent for me?"

"What can you tell us about Crota?"

"Crota? We know that Crota is the son of Oryx and is known as the Hope-Eater. The Moon fell to Crota long ago and the Hive Prince claimed the lives of many Guardians with his sword. He is a god, worshipped by the Hive and the Moon supposedly houses the sword, which drains the Light from whatever it touches. It's guarded by Swarm Princes. If you can manage to find the princes, kill them, and reclaim the sword, we can ensure it's never used again."

"So you want us to go back for the Sword?" Rorick asked.

"We'll discuss it," Zavala said. "When the storm passes meet back here and we'll let you know what we decided. You're dismissed."

Flak turned and left without a word to any of them, pulling his hood up before he reached the top of the stairs. Beorn and Franz spoke briefly with Ikora then left, talking about finding food despite the rain. Rorick and Sisre broke off as well and Wren was left alone for a moment, the Vanguard watching her as she was left behind. As quickly as she could manage she turned her back and left, running out into the rain toward the barracks.

In her room she stripped out of her wet armor, letting it hang in the bathroom to dry. Outside the lights of the city burned on as always, despite the terrible storm. She could hardly see more than blurs of light and dark from the rain but she kept the curtains open anyway.

The floor was freezing under her bare feet and she couldn't shake the chills that covered her skin. The only thing she had to wear was the black dress she'd bought before they left, but it wasn't warm and not comfortable to sleep in.

Someone knocked on the door and she panicked, throwing the dress on over wet skin. It clung uncomfortably and she only opened the door wide enough to see Sisre on the other side.

"Hey there," she smiled. "I'm headed down to this great little bath house to ride out the storm. They have a hot spring and everything. You wanna go?"

"Oh well… what about Rorick?"

"Eh, he's not big on the pampering thing. It's nice to have a girlfriend, ya know? So are you coming or not?"

"I would but I don't have anything else to wear."

Sisre chewed her lip. "C'mon."

Wren hesitated and Sisre grabbed her wrist, tugging playfully until Wren followed her through several halls and up a few levels before opening the door to her room.

It was identical to Wren's but more comfortable. A thick orange rug covered most of the floor, the curtains had been replaced with brightly colored yellow and orange ones with red tassels. Pillows on the bed matched and various other items were set around for decoration; bronze elephants, pieces of rock, empty sniper shells, and jewelry.

"Here," Sisre said, handing her a thick red robe. "You can use mine and I'll use the one I bought for Rorick. Not like he wears it anyway. Put them in that bag over there. We can use those in the bath house. As for getting there… this should do."

Sisre laid an outfit on the bed while Wren put the robes in a water-resistant bag, careful to tie it tight.

"I'll get changed in the bathroom so you can have some privacy," Sisre said, closing the door between the rooms.

Wren changed into a black tunic dress and pants set out for her, but the boots were too big, and she ended up keeping the black flats she'd come in. Sisre came out, pushing her hair to the side, away from her shining green eyes.

"Cute," she said and handed Wren an overcoat. "This should keep you dry. Jeeze, it's huge on you. Oh well, let's go."

The bath house was beyond what Wren had expected. The exterior of the building had flaking plaster and exposed brick, the neon sign had letters that had burned out, and the door squeaked on its hinged. But the actual bath was breathtaking. Steam filled the room and warmed her chilled skin. A pool had been built around the spring which remained a large hole in the middle of the intricately tiled pool. The water was crystal clear, showing the bright blue and white sun design that cascaded down the steps toward the middle of the pool.

White columns with matching designs held up glass ceiling and separated the edge of the pool from the lounging areas surrounding it. Plush furniture and white veils decorated the pool area and although several women were laying around or wading in the water, the bath house was quiet. Peaceful.

Almost all of them were nude and Wren clutched the front of her coat tightly.

"I know it's awkward at first, but there's nothing you have that they don't," Sisre said, pulling Wren into a nearby changing room. "Here. You can put this towel on if you're feeling shy. Just leave our stuff in this locker and we can go relax."

"Okay."

They were alone in the changing room, which helped some. She turned her back to Sisre and took her clothes off under the towel, doing as the Titaness said and locked their belongings in a locker at the end of the row. Sisre tied Wren's hair back and they went back into the pool area.

A few of the others nodded their greeting to Sisre but none spoke to them. Sisre left her towel in a chair by the edge of the pool and stepped in, the water rippling around her long legs. Wren glanced around and when she was sure no one was watching, she dropped her towel and followed Sisre, moving a little more quickly than he more confident friend.

They moved to the far end of the pool, away from the others, passing around the center where the spring dropped into a dark abyss at the center of the sun. They propped up on the side of the pool and Wren rested her head on her crossed arms, letting her body relax in the water as the sound of rain on the glass overhead reminded her of the tempest outside.

"You've had a busy start," Sisre said. "It seemed like it took ages for me to get into the really juicy missions."

"It's not like this all the time?"

"Not hardly," Sisre chuckled. "Most of the time it's small stuff; checking outposts, taking down Fallen that have overstepped their bounds, or scouting new areas for enemy activity. This whole thing with the Hive is beyond what most Guardians these days see."

"Maybe Beorn was right with what he said in the Grave. Maybe we are getting into something deep."

"Maybe so but I'm more interested in something else that's getting deep?" she said, green eyes narrowing mischievously.

"What's that?"

"Like you don't know Miss sneaking-off-to-be-alone-with-the-Hunter-Vanguard. We never got a chance to talk about why I found you alone with the infamous Cayde-6."

"It's nothing like that!" Wren insisted but she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "I came back from the City and I saw him hanging around the courtyard. He looked kinda sad so I showed him that spot you told me about. That's all."

"You saw Cayde looking… sad? Huh, that's a new one."

"Is that weird?"

"He's known for not taking anything seriously. I don't think I've heard of anyone seeing him as anything other than a loudmouth or a braggart. Maybe Beorn was right in what he said, but maybe I'm right too. I think he might favor you."

"Don't be silly." Wren rolled her eyes. "It's not like he broke down and showed me something that he's never showed anyone else. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"So…"

"What?"

"What about you? Do you favor our resident rogue?"

"I don't even know him."

"Well, at least you're not mad at him anymore."

"For now."

Sisre giggled and nudged Wren's elbow. "For now," she repeated.

"But while we're on the subject of Cayde, did you say anything to him about Flak?"

"No. I told you I'd keep it a secret, though I'm still not happy about what he did to you. Why?"

"Cayde asked me how he's fitting in to the group. He didn't mention anything in particular, but I was curious."

"Kinda odd that he'd bring it up. Maybe there's something about Flak that he's not telling us. He's not messed with me at all but that could be because of Rorick. I think you should be very careful around him, Wren."

"He'll leave me alone when he's bored. I just have to keep ignoring him."

"Either way, promise me you'll be careful."

"Yeah. I promise."


	12. Chapter 12

Fireteam Cerulean stood before the Vanguard and awaited their orders. Zavala put his hands on the table before him where Cayde had a map marked with key points on the Moon. The Commander's face remained expressionless as his eyes scanned over the map until at last, he stood up and put his hands behind his back.

"We've decided that this team should be split up for this mission. Scouts have confirmed that a Hive Prince has been seen around the Hellmouth, guarding the ritual site there. Rorick and Sisre will go to the Hellmouth and take care of the Prince while Flak and Wren search for the Sword. Beorn and Franzrick are needed by Ikora and will be on a separate mission for her."

Wren froze, her fists clenching, stomach dropping. She didn't want to be anywhere alone with Flak. Sisre nudged her gently but she didn't speak. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until Cayde spoke up.

"Actually," he said, "I have something I need Flak for."

Wren's eyes shot over to her Vanguard, but he wasn't looking at her, instead meeting Zavala's gaze. Her shoulders relaxed a little, but Flak wasn't happy.

"I don't think Wren should be alone on such a dangerous mission," Flak said, his tone thick with faux concern. It made Wren's skin crawl and she wondered if the Vanguard would buy his performance. Their faces showed nothing.

"I'm sure Wren can handle it," Rorick said flatly, cutting his gaze down at Flak who clenched his jaw but didn't argue with their leader. "When we're finished at the Hellmouth, we'll be there to back her up. I'm confident the three of us can handle this."

Zavala nodded. "Alright. You have your assignments. You're dismissed."

Beorn and Franz stayed behind with Ikora but the others left, ascending to the courtyard where the sun had broken free of the clouds from the night before. Large puffy white clouds dotted the sky, drifting lazily overhead. Wren could see the pale white of the Moon toward the horizon, still visible in the mid-morning sky.

Sisre bumped Wren on the way out. "We'll meet you in the hanger," she smiled, then caught up with Rorick.

She'd get a chance to see how she would do on her own. The breeze caught her new cloak and she looked out toward the city, ready to dip her toes into what it meant to be a Hunter.

Wren sprinted across the rocky surface of the Moon, arcing wide to the left as Sisre and Rorick charged right, straight into the area called the Hellmouth. Thrall swarmed the small crater, but Wren didn't see the large Knight they had anticipated to be guarding the ritual site. Gunfire sounded from behind her as the pair of Titans fought the screaming Thrall. It was a sound Wren didn't know if she'd ever get used to.

In the distance was the entrance to a place Rorick had called the Gatehouse; a strange slanted metal structure built into the rock. The opening was well lit by their massive lanterns and Wren could see the silhouette of two Knights milling about just inside the entrance. Guards. They'd have to be dealt with before she could proceed, or she could try to sneak around them.

"Try to use your Golden Gun," Kiran said. "You'll get three shots to take them out and it should only take one a piece."

"Got it," Wrens said, a little unsure of how to tap into that potential but when she focused on it, the power came easily. A flaming gun appeared in her hand and it worked just as well as Kiran said it would. The Knights hardly had time to react to her presence before she finished them off, but she couldn't deny she felt drained when the gun vanished.

She delved deeper into the Hive building, slowing a little until she felt some of that strength build up in her again. It didn't take long and she sped up into a sprint once more, the Better Devils thumping heavily on her thigh as she ran.

Ornate stairs curved down, pushing deeper into the Moon. Rocks, Hive barnacles, and broken steps littered the path. Wren slowed when the light from lanterns behind her began to fade, and the sound of gunfire from her fireteam stopped. She looked over her shoulder toward the entrance, well-lit and spacious, then back to the path ahead. The cavern narrowed a little farther down, darkness closing in on the next archway. Somewhere far off a Thrall screamed and Wren froze in place.

Kiran floated over her shoulder, casting his harsh light onto the steps and stone walls below. "It's down there. I can feel it."

"Do I even want to know why?"

He flicked toward her for a second, then answered quietly. "I can feel the Light from the Guardian's it's killed. But… But I'm sure it's different this time."

Not once since becoming a Guardian had Wren doubted her abilities more. In the time it's taken her to walk halfway down the stairs her confidence had wavered and now to hear of all the Guardian's the Sword had claimed? Kiran must have sensed her unease because he spoke in a more cheerful tone.

"I mean, it's not being wielded by Crota this time. I doubt the Hive even know we're coming. We have a chance to get in there, destroy the Sword, and get out before they know what him em'!"

Wren glared at him and adjusted her grip on the Better Devils. "I don't like the odds."

"We've got this. Rorick thinks so. The whole fireteam thinks so."

Kiran quirked after he spoke, and Wren nearly rolled her eyes. Flak was part of the team and he didn't think she was capable of lacing her own boots.

"They believe in you, and so do I."

That and they had no choice. The Vanguard had spoken. They needed that Sword gone before it was used against anyone else and she'd been trusted with making that happen. Even if she thought it was a stupid decision. She was new; a green horn, as she'd been called by a mechanic when he'd seen her Sparrow. If he could see she was inexperienced, surely the Vanguard could.

The Betters Devils was heavy in her hand and her bright eyes glanced at it in the darkness. Cayde. He'd apologized for what he'd said, but had she really gained his respect? Was he still talking behind her back about her capabilities? She inhaled deeply and stared into the darkness below. Kiran shined his light down there again and without a word Wren took another step. Then another; into the narrowing space, feeling the walls closing in. But she didn't look back.

Pebbles skittered across the hexagonal floor tiles with every step and she cursed the mess at her feet. She tried to keep quiet, half expecting a tide of Thrall to swarm up the steps and drown her in teeth and claws. The light from behind her faded, replaced by the faint glow of crystals that protruded from the walls. Without warning the passage opened up again.

She found herself standing in a cave, open along one side to the sheer cliffs of a crater. The bright surface of the Moon lit the interior and from the doorway she could see Hive Thrall and Acolytes walking aimlessly around the bottom of carved pillars and boulders they couldn't be bothered to move.

"Why does it always look like they gave up halfway through building something?" she asked quietly, wondering how she was going to get to the arched door on the other side of the cavern. She didn't have anything long ranged like Sisre, and no auto or scout rifles like the others in her fireteam liked to carry. It was just her and the Better Devils and a few throwing knives.

Kiran didn't reply to her failed attempt at humor, choosing instead to disappear. "What are you going to do?"

Wren peered around the edge of the doorway and counted as many enemies as she could see. "Thrall are stupid. They charge mindlessly… I think I can use that to my advantage. When will my Golden Gun be ready again?"

"Not fast enough," Kiran said. "You really need to consider time here. Causing a scene might alert others and I don't want to take any chances of them getting to the Sword before we do."

"Maybe I should try to sneak around them then."

"You'll need a plan if you can't."

"I don't think I'm much of a tactician," she admitted, slipping around to the right to hug the inside wall.

"My luck," Kiran said dryly. "But of course, what can I expect from a Hunter?"

Wren shushed him quietly and kept moving, edging closer to the door. Her own heartbeat thumped in her ears and she wondered if the Thrall would be able to hear it too if she got too close.

One of them paused in its pacing, turning its head in her direction. It made strange noises and clicked its teeth, staring at her with an eyeless face. Somehow it as much more eerie that way. Wren kept still, ready to raise her hand cannon and kill the Thrall if it charged her, but it didn't. After another second it turned and walked away, its body creaking quietly, like bones rubbing together.

When she got around to the door, she noticed a Knight she'd not seen before. It stood still, its massive head sweeping back and forth but its view was largely blocked by a pillar. Maybe it was to her benefit the creature didn't seem too bright. She knelt and picked up a rock, tossing it toward the open wall where it tumbled down the side of the crater.

The Knight didn't hesitate. It charged, weapon held high overhead. The Acolytes and Thrall followed as well, the lot of them leaning over the edge of the cliff to see about the noise. They fired their guns to the rocks below and one of the Thrall plunged to its death while Wren sprinted thought the doorway and down the stairs until she no longer heard them.

"We're almost there," Kiran said. "I can feel it."

"I'm ready for this to be over with."

Wren stepped around another corner into a cavern. More Thrall could be heard walking around where the room opened up further ahead, but she couldn't see them.

"I don't think you can distract them this time," Kiran said. "But this is it. No alarm bells this time; whatever's in here is what you have to defeat."

"Great."

With a steadying breath she charged into the room, keeping to the right wall. There were two levels in the central part of the cavern, which opened up to her left, and Thrall snapped their heads in her direction as soon as they heard her boots scuff across the pebble covered stone.

They screeched and charged at her, slashing with their claws long before they were close enough to touch her. A grenade too out the first wave and then the Cursed Thrall slowed as they neared, wrapping spindly arms around themselves. Wren took a step back and fired two shots at one in the middle, missing the first shot to land with the second and the whole lot of Cursed Thrall were triggered by the explosion.

Acolytes peeked out at her from behind columns on the lower and upper floors and opened fire. Their rounds ripped through her cloak as she rolled right, taking cover behind a half wall. Grooves had been cut into her armor and blackened with heat. Close. Too close.

She leaned around and jumped back in shock to see an Acolyte standing only a few feet away. It shot her in the shoulder, and she fell back on her rear, open firing until the creature dropped, turning to ash. Her left arm throbbed, and blood trickled from the wound. Right hand pressed over the wound as she scurried behind the half wall, taking cover from the Acolytes that continued to fire at her.

"Just a second," Kiran said as the wound began to heal. "Be careful."

"I'm trying," she said through gritted teeth.

This time she didn't take any chances to coming face to face with the Hive. She only peered out enough to see the one above her and shoot it off the ledge before running toward the closest pillar. Another popped out before her and she threw her knife, the blade sinking easily into its skull. She didn't stop to retrieve it.

A Wizard in the center of the room became her main priority. A massive chain extended from a hole in the ceiling and disappeared into one in the floor and Wren could just imagine hoards of Thrall crawling over each other from the void below.

Where was Sisre and her sniper rifle when Wren needed her? She'd have to take out the Wizard on her own. After she handled the Acolyte that was running down the stairs at her. She threw another knife and it plunged into the Acolyte's thigh. It cried out and clutched at the knife and Wren took advantage of the distraction and fired off a couple rounds into its head.

Wren slammed a fresh clip in the Better Devils before leaning around to shoot at the Wizard.

"Your Golden Gun is ready!" Kiran said.

Wren didn't need to be told twice. The flaming gun appeared in her hand and she turned the Wizard to ashes. It was a comforting sight, until she noticed the sword floating midair a few feet away. Silence filled the air and feeling it was safe enough, Kiran appeared beside her and floated closer to the sword, his light reflecting in a pool of water beneath the Hive relic.

"This is it," he said. "The Sword of Crota."

"As soon as I pick it up the Hive will come for it." Wren took a step closer and holstered her gun.

"Yes. Are you ready?"

"Not at all," Wren said, wrapping her hand around the hilt of the sword.

The puddle rippled and Kiran vanished in sparks an instant before Thrall rose from the murky water. Doors on either side of the puddle opened and Acolytes filed through. Wren slashed the sword at them, their bodies tearing under the blade as easily as paper.

"They're everywhere!" Kiran shouted and a Thrall made a grab at Wren's cloak from behind. She whirled around, its claws stuck to the fabric, and the motion flung it away onto the floor where it bowled over another Thrall that was rushing her. "The Princes are coming!"

Wren cut her way through the smaller opponents, adrenaline pushing through pain from claws when Thrall got too close or burns from Acolyte rounds that grazed her armor. It passed in a blur; as if her body had gone into auto pilot, muscle memory filling in for her lack of experience.

"It's Garok," Kiran said and Wren turned her attention back to the puddle.

The water rippled again, this time rolling into a boil as a Knight arose as the Thrall had before. The Prince wielded a massive sword and as soon as his feet stepped onto the stone floor, he slammed the sword into the ground. Any Thrall in its path were obliterated and the sheer force knocked Wren back. She fell close to the hole in the floor, one of her throwing knives slipped from her pouch and tumbled end over end into the blackness below until the blade stopped reflecting the light. She never heard it hit bottom.

"Try that! Do what he just did!" Kiran suggested, and Wren obeyed, hopping to her feet as the Prince rose his sword to strike once more.

Hard as she could Wren slammed the blade into the Prince while his arms were raised and the change in damage was incredible. Instead of slicing through its flesh and bone, the sword seemed to become a blunt object, exuding tremendous amounts of force to its victim.

When Garok's sword fell Wren made sure she was out of the way. But as with most Knights, Garok was faster than he looked. She had to run to avoid the next attack but took her chance the second the Prince raised his sword again. Wren slashed across his abdomen and he cried out in pain, sinking to the floor on one knee. One more slice and Garok's head rolled from his shoulders. His body burned away, and Kiran drew Wren's attention to the next Prince, who had risen in Garok's place.

Kiran gave no name to this one, only reminded her that they had one down and two to go.

Wren slid away from the second Prince and sprinted up the stairs toward the second level as more Thrall circled around her. With the help of another grenade and the careless swordsmanship of the Prince, the Thrall were easily dispatched.

"Is the Prince following me?" Wren asked.

"No. Seems Dakoor's taking the low ground," Kiran said. "Wait, no, here he comes."

Wren backed up and drew the Better Devils with one hand, taking aim as Dakoor's head came into view from the top of the steps. He fell back into the wall, but Wren didn't stop. Shooting with one hand was killing her accuracy and the trigger clicked on an empty chamber but Dakoor still moved.

"You need practice," Kiran said dryly.

"Do you want to try?"

"N-no, you got this."

"That's what I thought," Wren said, jumping down to slam the sword into Dakoor's shoulder. His body disintegrated and an Acolyte Wren hadn't seen fired a shot into her back as she landed on the steps. It knocked her off balance and she rolled down the remaining stairs, almost losing grip on the sword. Pain radiated from between her shoulder blades with every heartbeat and inhaling was nearly impossible. Kiran tried to sooth her as he focused Light to her wounds, but she couldn't hear him over the ringing in her ears.

"Roll right!" His last words broke through the fog and she did as she was told without thought.

The third Prince's sword crashed into the floor where she'd just been, the blade slicing away a strip of her cloak. The force sent Wren barrel rolling into a pillar. He screamed in anger and lifted the sword to pursue her.

Wren scrambled behind the pillar, panting into her helmet. She could hear the last Prince's heavy footfalls as he charged toward her and she was ready for him. She planted her feet, gripped the sword firmly in both hands, and waited until he was closer.

"Now!" Kiran yelled, and Wren swung the sword like a bat, striking the Prince's left leg with enough force to bend the knee joint backward.

The Prince cried out and toppled toward her, slashing clumsily as he went. He reached up to stop the second strike, but he was too late. Wren worked with the backswing and continued on around to make contact with the side of his head. His neck snapped and it was all over.

The sword disappeared from her hands and she hit her hands and knees, trying to catch her breath. The room was silent once more and she could feel how much lighter the air felt without the dark energy of the sword.

"You did it," Kiran said.

"Don't sound so surprised," Wren said, a laugh choked out by her gasping for breath.

"I'm not surprised. I knew you could do it."

"We. We did it," she corrected, standing at long last.

"You know, the Cryptarchs won't believe that it just disappeared."

"They'd just have to be happy with the story."

"Wren?"

"Sisre?" she answered, reloading the Better Devils as she stepped out into the open. "What are you two doing down here?"

"We finished up with the Knight and cleared the area. Thought we'd come in and see how things were going."

"There was some concern when we saw there was a room full of Hive," Rorick said.

"I wasn't sure how far I'd have to go," Wren explained. "Didn't want to alert them too early."

"Good plan. Where's the sword?"

"It's gone. After I killed the last Swarm Prince, it just vanished."

"I see," Rorick replied, his tone more than a little disappointed.

"Oh well," Sisre shrugged. "We did what we came here to do. The Sword of Crota has been destroyed."

"I suppose that'll have to been good enough for the Vanguard. At least it's one less weapon for the Hive to use against us. Let's go back to the Tower and give our report. And Wren? Well done."


	13. Chapter 13

"You've been quiet," Kiran said, snapping Wren back to reality. Her ship was being docked and frankly, she wasn't sure how. She'd been somewhere else in her head since they entered the atmosphere.

"Sorry," she muttered, stretching her arms high above her head.

"What's on your mind?"

"It's dumb."

"You can tell me."

Wren glanced at him, then leaned back, watching as mechanics secured the ship. "I know Cayde apologized and everything, but I still can't get what he said out of my head. About not being cut out for this."

"You just destroyed the Sword of Crota," Kiran said, bobbing in front of her. "Isn't that proof enough that you're a true Guardian?"

"It should," she sighed. "I told you it's dumb. I know it's irrational, and I'm not even mad at Cayde anymore about it."

"Does this have anything to do with the things Flak's said to you?"

"I don't know. I mean, I can't say he's not right about some of it. I am a lot smaller than the others, and a lot less experienced. I mess up sometimes. I've been knocked around, lost my gun, and nearly wrecked my Sparrow."

"You think the rest of them were perfect fighters when they started? I'm sure their Ghosts could tell you some stories," he said, his light growing cheerfully brighter.

"Don't even think about telling tales on me," Wren grinned.

"Then you stop worrying about living up to being a Guardian. You're doing great."

"No promises."

Wren slid off the wing of the ship onto the catwalk below, Kiran gliding down to join her. Sisre strode up beside her, Rorick close behind.

"Where ya headed, Wren?"

"Sleep, food, and shower, though not necessarily in that order."

"We're going to head down to the ramen shop. You wanna tag along? I'm sure you'll be the talk of the town."

"Guardians' would line up to buy you a drink and listen to your story," Rorick said.

"Thanks, but I don't think I want that kind of attention."

"Suit yourself," Sisre said. "We'll see you soon."

The pair of Titans walked around her, their long strides putting distance between them in a matter of seconds. Wren wasn't in any hurry. Her stomach growled and she wondered what choice she'd have for food without going into the city, but her thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Hey, Robin, C'mere!" Cayde called, waving a wrench above his head.

Wren huffed and headed his direction, but she didn't bother to correct him about her name. She got the feeling he was doing it on purpose anyway. "Yeah?"

"Wanted you to meet the Shipwright. Amanda Holliday," he said, as a blonde woman slid out from under the wing of a jump ship, grease streaked across her freckled face.

"Thought your name was Wren?" she said, reaching up to shake Wren's hand.

"It is," Wren replied, shaking Holliday's hand and glaring at Cayde who only smiled back innocently.

"Heard about what you did out there," he said.

"Already?"

"Guardians don't waste time telling stories. So, why don't you tell us yours?" Cayde leaned back and made himself comfortable, crossing his arms over his chest. Holliday sat on the catwalk, propped up on her arms as she waited for the story to begin.

Wren opened her mouth, Cayde's eyes lit up, and she shrugged. "Not much to tell. Sisre and Rorick went after the first Knight and cleared the outside of the Temple while I went in and killed the Swarm Princes."

Cayde's face fell, the gleam gone from his eyes. "And?"

"And… now we're back?"

"Jeeze kid, I really gotta teach you how to tell a story. Eh, it's fine. You got the basics; I can add the spice."

"Spice?"

"Trust me, you don't wanna know," Holliday laughed. "Don' matter anyway. Stories 'round here aren't taken too serious. Everyone knows Guardian stories are at least seventy five percent bull," she glanced up at Cayde, "and about ninety percent if you get em from that one."

"There's nothin' wrong with a couple tasteful exaggerations here and there," Cayde shrugged.

Holliday chuckled and threw a grease rag at him. "You're the worst."

"So where are you headed?" Cayde asked, slinging the rag over his shoulder.

"I'm hungry but I don't want to go down into the city."

"Why not?"

"You heard her story tellin'," Holliday smiled, raising a brow at Cayde.

"Yeah," Wren said quietly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't think I'm going to like that kind of attention."

"Well, I'll go with you!" Cayde piped up. "I'd love to tell your story for you. Been a long time since I had a fresh one."

"I don't know if I feel right sitting there while you make up what happened. Is there anywhere I can eat in the Tower?"

"Sorry, kid," Cayde shrugged. "The City or nothin'."

Wren sighed.

"Look, we'll go somewhere quiet then," Cayde offered and Holliday glanced up at him. He didn't pay her any mind.

Wren opened her mouth to protest but her stomach spoke for her.

"Go get that girl some food," Holliday said, slipping down under the ship again. "Nice meetin' you Wren."

"You too," Wren waved and Cayde strode ahead, proud as a peacock. He waved to everyone as they passed, telling them all she was the Guardian who destroyed the Sword of Crota. Before they even got out of the Tower she was regretting letting him talk her into going anywhere with him but by the time they reached the City he was quiet.

He led her through bustling markets as he had before, but slowly the streets grew closer on both sides and the crowds grew thinner until they were nothing more than shadows watching them from the darkness. They wound through narrow back alleys where boxes were stacked, trash cans overflowed with garbage, and chickens ran ahead of them, squawking loudly. Wren had to jog at times to keep up with Cayde but he not once looked back to see if she was still there. Not until she tripped in a pothole and fell forward, catching his cloak to stop her fall. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her, a handful of black fabric clutched tight in her fists.

"Sorry," she muttered and straightened herself. She could feel her face flush but Cayde just shook his head, chuckled, and walked on.

"We're almost there," he said when they rounded a corner into an alley that was so narrow, they couldn't have walked down it shoulder to shoulder.

The walls hugged tight and wires ran between the buildings higher up and a few windows were open further up. The bright light of the Traveler was only a sliver of white when she looked up toward the sky. Smoke drifted lazily from unknown places, possibly windows that weren't viewable from the alley below. Wren couldn't tell.

Cayde stopped at a rusted door with a flickering light over it. Wren took a step back. This was getting too weird for her. He must have sensed her unease because he stopped, hand prepared to knock, and shot her a cocky smirk.

"It's a Hunter hang out. Usually quiet this time of the week. Jeeze you're jumpy," he laughed, shook his head, and knocked on the door.

A sliding metal slot opened, and a pair of bright, mechanical yellow eyes stared back at them. "Password."

Cayde glanced at Wren, still grinning, and put his hands on his hips. He straightened up and said, "Titan's suck."

"Nope," the voice replied and slammed the slot closed.

Cayde withered. "What the…." He knocked again. The slot opened. "What the hell, Derrick. It was Titans suck yesterday."

"That was yesterday. This is today."

Cayde pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Derrick…. I make the passwords. If I haven't given you a new one, then you can assume the old one still works."

Derrick's yellow orbs focused, then refocused, then he opened the door.

Wren followed through the door into another narrow space, past the Exo called Derrick. He was a rickety old thing; covered in half rusted armor and leather that had worn through in spots. His cloak was short and ragged at the edges; burnt and frayed. He gave her a curt nod, closed the door, then stood at it; eye level with the slot as if he was waiting for someone else. Titans suck was written in thick black letters on the back side of the door along with countless others that had been marked out.

When she turned toward Cayde he was already down the hall, passing beneath gently swaying light bulbs toward another door at the far end. She trotted to catch up to him and when she did, he spoke.

"Derrick-66. Good guy. Been reset a lot. And I mean, a lot. You think Banshee's muddled? That guy is—" Cayde whistled.

"Is it safe to have him at the door then?"

"Eh, it's not really necessary to have anyone there at all," Cayde said quietly. "See, his Ghost was taken out a long time ago so even if his mind was still right, he can't be out in the field anymore and he can't remember his trade like Banshee does. This gives him a sense of purpose. Even if it's small."

Wren looked back at Derrick, still standing with his nose practically on the door, and felt… she wasn't sure. Pity? He most likely couldn't remember what being a Guardian was like to miss it. If she told him she felt sorry for him, he might not understand why. It also gave her a slightly different view on Cayde. This poor old soul that lived nose to nose with a door meant enough to Cayde for him to be given a purpose. He wasn't forgotten.

Kiran blinked at her, twisted, and rose. She could swear he understood her change without even telling him and he was proud of himself. Or, proud of Cayde for proving Wren wrong.

Behind the next door was a cozy nest of a place. Battered tables sat too close together with chairs sprinkled around in a way that made it impossible to tell where they belonged. The lighting was bad and some of the bulbs had been replaced with red or blue ones out of necessity. There were no windows, but the outside walls were lined with dark little booths, some covered over with curtains a of beads.

A bar stretched along the right wall and an Awoken with pale purple eyes, light grey skin, and straight black hair pulled into a messy ponytail poured a patron a drink. The Hunter didn't even raise his head when Wren and Cayde walked in, but a group toward the back did. A human poked his head around booth at them, muttered something to his friends, then an Exo and two more humans glanced around at him.

One of the human women said something to the others, then left the booth to approach Wren and Cayde. She was a few inches taller than Wren, with dyed pink hair braided tightly on the sides of her head, the rest pulled up into a flowing ponytail that grazed her bare shoulders.

"Hey," she said, giving Wren a once over before turning her deep brown eyes up at Cayde. "You want to join us for a few drinks?"

Cayde looked at Wren. "What do you think?"

Wren opened her mouth to speak, but the woman interrupted her. "There's only room for one."

"Well then you'd have to take her," Cayde shrugged.

"This shrimp?" the woman laughed, crossing her arms and raising a brow.

Wren was taken aback. She hadn't even spoken to this woman and she was calling her name? Her fists clenched at her sides and she opened her mouth to speak, but Cayde beat her to it.

"This 'shrimp' just destroyed the Sword of Crota and killed like, half a dozen Hive Princes," he said.

Wren tensed, now shifting her eyes to her Vanguard. Half a dozen?

The woman scowled at Wren, bit her lip, then forced a smile. "We only have room for one. If you change your mind Cayde, you know where to find me." She turned on her heel, long cloak hitting Wren's legs as she spun, and walked back to her table.

"That was a lie," Wren whispered.

"So what? Emilie is just being a—"

"What'll it be, Cayde?" the bartender said, calling their attention to her. She leaned onto her elbows on the bar.

Cayde hopped up onto a bar stool and nudged the one beside him with his foot, signaling Wren to sit. She stared at the stool, glared at him, and stepped up the metal rungs to sit down. Her feet dangled, unable to rest on the rungs. Cayde chuckled.

"The usual. Double," he said, holding up two fingers. The bartender smiled at Wren, then to Cayde, then she went off into a back room.

"What is she bringing back?"

"Fried chicken and these potato things. I don't remember what she calls them, but it's baked and has cheese and stuff. Trust me, it's delicious. Oh, and alcohol."

"Alcohol?"

"Yup. Also called liquid courage. You probably haven't had that since you woke up. Eh, you can handle it."

Wren could hear the Hunters in the corner speaking among themselves and she could swear she felt them watching her but she didn't turn around. Instead she leaned her elbows onto the bar and occupied herself with reading the labels on bottles. What of them she could understand anyway. Some had the same blocky text she'd seen in the Cosmodrone and others were scrawled across the bottle in more fluid, brush-like strokes.

"You ever have friend chicken?" he asked.

"No."

Silence.

"Eh… well, what have you tried since you woke up?"

"Just ramen."

Silence

"So… how's that Better Devils treatin' ya?"

"It's great."

He nodded.

Silence.

"I think I should explain how a conversation goes," he said, turning to her. "See, first one person says something. Then the other person replies in a way that the first person can also reply to. So I say, 'How's that Better Devils treatin' ya?' and you say something like, 'It's great. It was super useful killing those Hive Princes.' Then I can be like, 'Oh yeah? Tell me about that. How'd you take 'em down?'"

Wren narrowed her eyes at him. "I know how conversation works."

"Ok, so…" he trailed. "How'd you take 'em down?"

"You really want a story, don't you?"

"More than you know," he groaned. "I mean, these Hunters are awesome any everything, well most of them are, but the stories are the same these days. Took out some thieving Fallen, brought back some missing cache, blah blah. This is big kid. Real big. Sword of Crota big."

The bartender came back and set their food in front of them then made up some drinks. For a moment Cayde was preoccupied with that; loading down the chicken with hot sauce as the bartender put their drinks in front of them. He downed it in one gulp and asked for another. She rolled her eyes and laughed, pouring another before going to tend to the Hunter sitting farther down the bar.

Wren had forgotten they were there. She glanced over to see if she could make out their face, but no luck. They were wrapped in a full cloak; sleeves and all. It wasn't like the ones she'd seen so many other Hunters wear, covering their entire body with a larger cowl that would be difficult to see around in battle. But there was a sliver of blue was visible underneath. Blue armor? Their actual cloak maybe? Wren couldn't tell. Something about the faceless figure gave her the creeps but she was brought back to Cayde when he nudged her elbow.

"Try this," he said, tapping her glass with his leather clad finger.

She picked it up and inspected it, taking a sniff of it before jerking away with a grimace. "Smells terrible."

"Just drink it."

One sip and she grimaced some more as the amber liquid burned its way down to her stomach. "I don't think I like this."

Cayde laughed. "Don't drink it then. I'll get you something else if you want."

"It's okay," she said, sliding the glass away. It was bad enough he'd given her a weapon and now this was the second time he'd bought her food. She didn't want him going any more out of the way or doing anything more for her that others might use against her.

"Tell me this story," he said, taking a bite of chicken.

Wren tried not to look, though she was curious of how an Exo was supposed to eat. She picked at the chicken before her and pulled off a strip of meat before popping it into her mouth. How was she supposed to tell him what happened in a way that would get him off her back but not make her feel like a complete fool?

Wren grabbed the alcohol and took a deep gulp, her face contorting, throat burning like she'd swallowed a torch. And yet… the burn faded, her shoulders loosened, and her body grew warm.

"Slow down," he said, putting a hand over the top of glass and pushing it down toward the bar. "You get hammered and you'll regret it."

"Ok," she inhaled, bracing her hands on the edge of the bar and leaning back. "Here's what happened. You know the Hellmouth, right?"

"You bet," he said, adjusting to face her more, wide grin lighting up his face.

She took a deep breath and recounted what happened, leaving out her fear of delving into the tight, confined, darkness that comprised the halls of the Hive fortress. At first she didn't go into much detail, but his expressions egged her on. He was genuinely interested in what she had to say, scarfing down chicken but never taking his eyes off her. Before she knew it, several glasses sat empty between them, Cayde's plate covered in bones, and her story was told.

"See, kid, now that's a story," he beamed.

"I did okay?"

"You did okay. You could still learn from a master," he said, jabbing a thumb at his chest, "but you did good."

Wren smiled down at her empty glass, swirling a drop of liquid around the bottom. "I kind of like this stuff."

"I think you've had enough," he chuckled. "You feelin' alright?"

"A little lightheaded, but yeah."

"You ready to head back to the Tower?"

Wren sighed and thought for a moment. "Not really. Hey, you wanna go for that Sparrow ride?"

"Not a chance. You don't drive Sparrows when you've been drinking. Let's get you home. You really can _not_ handle liquor."

Cayde paid the tab and stood, Wren stumbling from the barstool, falling into him. She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand as he helped her regain her balance. The booze hit her harder when she stood up and the room swayed.

"Maybe next time we'll skip the whiskey," he said with a tilt of his head.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." She patted his arm and headed toward the door and being overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of Derrick, she hugged him tightly. "Sweet Derrick," she muttered.

The Exo's yellow eyes widened in surprise and he stared down at her, blinking rapidly, arms half up.

"Uh… Cayde?" He looked to his friend, who laughed and peeled Wren from his waist. "Is she…"

"More drunk than I thought," Cayde said. "Alright, kid, let's get you home."

"She's gonna feel that in the morning," Derrick said, opening the door for them.

"Bye Derrick," Wren waved as she stepped out into the street, tripping into the wall on the other side of the narrow alley. She laughed again, tilting her head back to stare up at the sky above. The world spun and tipped and when she blinked, she was looking up at Cayde, his head a mere silhouette against the light from above but his blue eyes stared at her intently. "Is this normal?"

He helped her to her feet. "For a lightweight."

"Lightweight?"

"Means it doesn't take much to get you drunk," he said, guiding her down the alley.

The door opened behind them and the same woman from before called to Cayde. "Hey, why don't you drop the kid off and come play with the adults?"

Wren whipped around to protest but her stomach protested for her. She clenched her mouth shut, gripping Cayde's arm to keep herself standing.

"What's your issue, Emelie?" Cayde asked.

"No issue," she replied, crossing her arms. "I just don't see why you'd rather hang out with a scrawny little runt than hang out with me."

"Because this scrawny little runt doesn't make an ass of herself."

Emelie snorted. "Oh please. She can't even stand up."

"Oh, let me put this another way," Cayde said, his tone firm. "I don't want to hang out with Guardians who have nothing better to do than cut other people down. Maybe if you'd stop acting like a bitch and go back to the laid back Hunter you used to be, I'd take the time to hang out with you."

Her eyes narrowed at him, mouth pulled into a tight line.

"Now you get on back to those people you're wanting to show off to," he said, waving toward the door where Derrick was watching from the shadows.

Without another word Emelie turned on her heel and stormed back into the bar, leaving Cayde and Wren alone in the alley.

"Oh wow," Wren breathed, looking up at Cayde. "That was really mean."

"Aw, what?" he flung his hands up. "I was defending you and you just… mean? I'm mean?"

"You called her a bitch." Wren gasped.

"I said she was acting like a bitch, there's a difference."

"A bitch though…."

"She called you a scrawny little runt."

"But I am though."

Cayde let his arms drop to his sides and regarded her for a moment, his expression dropping. "I'll apologize to her later."

"Promise?" Wren held out a hand, pinkie extended. He raised a brow at her.

"Seriously? Pinkie promise?"

"It's sacred."

"Fine." He hooked his pinkie with her and shook. "C'mon you little troublemaker."

Wren followed Cayde, somewhere between a dream and intense nausea, lights splitting into multiple forms, like fireflies. Smells swarmed her, sounds exploded in her ears, and everything was incredibly funny. Her shoulders relaxed, feet heavy as stones, eyelids threatening to close any moment.

After a time she realized she hadn't been paying Cayde any attention. Was she lost? Her eyes drifted down to her hand and the bundle of black fabric gripped tightly in her fist. He was leading her a long like a little kid and Emelie's words trickled back into her brain. Was she really like a child to him? Some helpless thing he had to lead along?

She stopped in her tracks and dropped his cloak but he noticed immediately and turned around.

"Doin' alright back there? Feeling sick or something?"

"I can go back by myself."

He hesitated, then jabbed a thumb toward the Tower. "We're almost there."

"I'm not a kid."

"I know you're not."

"I can go by myself," she repeated.

"You're drunk. I'm not leaving you alone until you're back in your own room. No tellin' what kinda trouble you'd get into out here."

Wren swayed, fidgeted with her hands, and struggled to find words for what she wanted to say. After a moment's hesitation, Cayde took a step toward her, extending a hand with the tattered hem of his cloak. She didn't have the stomach to fight. She grabbed his cloak and let him lead her home.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Wren," Kiran said, nudging her arm. "You should get up now."

Sunlight poured through a foot-wide gap in her curtains, warming her bare shoulders but creating a blinding brightness behind her eyelids. Her head pounded with every heartbeat and Kiran's voice only made it worse. She rolled onto her back and blinked her eyes open, only to throw her arms over her face and groan.

"Drink to much?" he asked with a chuckle. "Cayde said you'd regret it."

"He should have been more specific as to why."

"Probably." Kiran floated up and pushed the curtains farther apart. "But you really should be up."

"Urg, more light isn't helping me." Wren pulled her blanket over her head but it was too thin to keep out the sun's rays. She tried to remember what happened the night before but not much came to mind. She could remember Derrick-66, Emelie and her friends, and the stranger at the bar. Things started getting hazy about halfway through her retelling of defeating the Swarm Princes and after that… a blur. "How did I get back here last night?"

"Cayde, of course. Led you all the way back by his cloak," Kiran said, sneaking under the blanket with her. He set himself on the bed, blue light dulling to not hurt her eyes. "It was quite a sight to see."

"How embarrassing."

"You made him pinkie promise to apologize to Emelie too."

"I did not."

"You surely did."

Someone started knocking on her door and each beat reverberated through her ears and sent shockwaves through her head.

"Guess you have to get up now," Kiran laughed, floating toward the door. "It's Sisre."

Wren wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and went to open the door. The knocking continued before she could reach it and she winced before opening it.

"Hey," she said, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"You're still asleep?" Sisre asked.

"She's hung over," Kiran chuckled.

"How?"

"Cayde," Wren grumbled, retreating into her room while Sisre let herself in.

"You went drinking with Cayde?" Sisre smirked. "Is that why you didn't go with us to the ramen shop last night? Had a date?"

"Not in the least," Wren said, yanking the curtains closed before carefully sitting on the bed. "He talked me into going to some Hunter hang out to tell him the story of how I destroyed the Sword of Crota."

"And he got you drunk?"

"To be fair, I got myself drunk."

"Well, I came to see if you wanted to go shopping with me today. There's going to be a party at the ramen shop tonight to celebrate the destruction of the Sword of Crota and we're the guests of honor. I want something nice to wear."

"We? Rorick, you, and I?"

"All of Cerulean," Sisre shrugged. "We're a team. Even though the others weren't there, they're still part of our fireteam."

"I don't know—"

"Cayde will be there," Sisre sat beside her and flashed a wide grin.

"That's not a great way to persuade me. I think I may have embarrassed myself last night."

"How's that?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Wren said, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms.

"She was so drunk she had to hold onto Cayde's cloak and follow him halfway across the city," Kiran chimed in, his tone happy as a lark.

Sisre laughed and threw an arm around Wren's shoulders. "I told you he favored you. In that case, you'll want to wear something really nice tonight."

"I don't think I want to go."

"Aw, c'mon Wren. We're a team now. I want you to go with me."

Wren sighed and glanced up at Sisre's face. The Titan was giving her a pouting look and Wren couldn't help but smile.

"Fine. I'll go. But I let me sleep." Wren flopped over onto her side and pulled the blanket up over her head. "My head is killing me."

"Get dressed and meet me in the courtyard. I have just the thing for that headache and we can get our share of engrams and glimmer from the last mission while we're there. I don't want to go shopping alone and you literally have one thing to wear outside of combat. And your room…" she glanced around and grimaced. "I know we're not here often, but it needs to be your safe place. Your sanctuary."

"Okay, okay. I'll meet you up there."

"Good," Sisre said, patting Wren's hip before getting up to leave. "I'll meet you up there in ten or fifteen minutes."

Sisre let herself out and Wren laid in silence for a few minutes before hauling herself out of bed and slipping on the black dress she'd bought before. Kiran zipped around the room while she got dressed but stayed quiet until they were nearing the courtyard.

"I'll be bright out there," he reminded.

"Yup," Wren grumbled as she opened the door, the sun blinding her in white light. She shielded her eyes against its rays but ever shiny surface in the courtyard reflected the light back at her from other angles.

Sisre waved to her from near the tree by Banshee's shop and Wren went to join her.

"Here," she said, handing over a small glass bottle. "This'll make you feel much better."

The liquid was amber colored and had something thick and yellow floating in it as well as specks of… well, Wren wasn't sure. Leaves maybe?

"It looks terrible."

"Tastes terrible too. But it'll fix you right up," Sisre insisted. "Just hold your nose and take it in one gulp."

Wren uncorked the bottle but kept it away from her face to keep from inhaling it. She held her nose and tossed in back, the yellow substance coating her tongue in a warm, creamy, texture that made her want to vomit. She felt spice and burn all at once as it slid down her throat.

"Holy shit," Wren shuddered.

Sisre exploded with laughter. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to settle herself. "I've just never heard you curse before."

"I think that constitutes it."

"But being swarmed by Thrall doesn't?" Sisre wiped a tear from her eye.

"What was in that?"

"Best you don't know. C'mon. Let's see what Master Rahool has for us."

They sorted through their engrams, trading items the other needed more, and at the end of it, Wren had a new chest piece, some gauntlets, a cloak, an auto rifle, and a scout rifle Sisre swore she'd love. They tagged their things and put them in the Vault.

"Let's go see the Vanguard to get our Glimmer," Sisre said, heading toward the command room.

Wren stopped. "Can you get mine for me? I really don't think I can look at Cayde right now."

Sisre winked at her. "Sure thing. But you better get your head together by tonight."

Wren waited patiently for Sisre to return on the railing near the top of the stairs. She watched ships pass around toward the hangar until at last Sisre came up beside her.

"Here," she said, dropping a pouch in Wren's hand. "I knew we'd make a lot on that last one but I wasn't expecting this much. We're set for awhile on this haul."

Sisre tucked her Glimmer away and started off toward the city. Wren glanced down the stairs toward the command room, then trotted to catch up to her friend. Sisre didn't miss it. She giggled and bit her lip.

"Yes," she said slyly.

"What?"

"The answer is yes."

"I don't—"

"Cayde asked about you."

"I didn't ask that."

"But you wanted to know."

"What? No I didn't."

"Oh please," Sisre laughed. "You're blushing."

Wren looked away. She thought to argue; to say she wasn't, but she could feel the burning in her cheeks and knew there was no point in saying anything at all.

"Anyway," she continued. "He asked if you were alright after all that drinking last night. I told him you were nursing a hangover but that you'd be at the party tonight."

"This is going to be terrible."

"Don't be that way. He seemed excited to see you again. I told you he favors you. I'm sure you didn't make that much of an ass of yourself. You have to face him sooner or later, he's your Vanguard. May as well get it out of the way now."

"I don't want to think about it," Wren sighed. "Where are we going?"

"I know this great dress maker that can make up something perfect for tonight. And a few stalls I can think of might have something you'll like for your room. Is there anything you want for in there?"

"A thicker blanket."

"I think we can handle that. And what about a dress?"

"I don't know. I like this style," Wren said, looking down to the flowers around her shoulders. "It's not too fancy and it's easy to move around in."

"It's cute. I think I might get one like it myself. I think I want mine green. To match my eyes. You should get blue. I think you'd look great in blue."

"Hm, I don't know. My skin's already blue. Don't you think it'd be overboard?"

"Huh… yeah probably. What about red?"

"We'll see when we get there."

Sisre had helped Wren set up her room once they finally returned to the Tower. When they stepped back and looked at their work, Wren was impressed. They'd put thicker, plush gray curtains over the ones that were already there. Sisre had tacked a white blanket with a black and red mandala on one of the walls. Her bedding was soft grays, and black with a few red accent pillows and an extra throw blanket over the end. A fuzzy dark gray rug covered the floor by the bed and a full-length mirror hung near the closet.

"So much better," Sisre said. "It's so cozy in here now. Still think you should have gone gray and pink."

Wren plopped down on the edge of the bed. "Well, I could get some pink stuff if I ever want to change it up a bit."

"True. You could get some accent stuff. Anything will go with this gray. Anyway, we're going to be late if we don't get ready now. You mind if I get changed here?"

"I don't mind." Wren turned her back and started to strip out of her black dress. She was still a little self-conscious about being naked around Sisre, but they'd already bathed together twice, she may as well get used to it.

The dress she'd bought was much the same style as the first one, but more intricate. It was still cotton; soft and cool, but the front had two openings extending from the middle of the collar to both arm pits instead of one like her original dress. The body of the second dress was black with bright red flowers. The cap sleeves up to the collar were red lace, revealing her skin underneath. Red piping outlined the collar, sleeves, and the slit, which like the first dress, split up to mid-thigh.

Wren stood and smoothed the front, making sure the row of buttons was secured. The dressmaker had called them pankou. They were beautiful little knots and loops that kept the dress together. She turned to see Sisre in her dress, which was the same color as her brilliant green eyes with a white butterfly pattern and piping. Unlike Wren's Sisre's was sleeveless, the front connecting to a collar. It fit perfectly to her form and Wren smiled broadly as Sisre slipped into green flats.

"You look fantastic," Wren said. Sisre beamed.

"You look like you're about to break a certain Hunter Vanguard's heart."

"Oh please," Wren laughed.

"You ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll even be, I guess."

"Good. I'm starving."

The pair of them made their way to the ramen shop Cayde took her to the first night she was at the Tower. The place was absolutely crowded, people spilling out into the streets. Wren's stomach dropped and she considered going back when Sisre took her hand and led her onward. She pushed her way through, dragging Wren along with her.

The crowd pushed the jostled around her until at last Wren stumbled out of the group and right into Cayde's back. Pain shocked her nose and she clamped her hands over her face when he turned around.

"Woah there, slow it down," he said. "Hey, look, it's Owl! You okay?"

Wren checked her hand. "Yeah I'm fine. No blood," she said, showing a clean palm.

"Sisre said you had a hangover this morning? Can't say I'm surprised. You were pretty drunk…last…" his voice faded off as his gaze slowly fell to her dress. He snatched his attention back up to her face with a nervous smile. "Uh, I'll go get you a drink."

Before she could stop him, he was gone, disappearing into the crowd. A hand slipped around her waist from behind and her right arm was wrenched behind her back. She clenched her teeth as Flak leaned in from behind, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply.

"Dressing like that gets you far with the Vanguard huh?" he whispered in her ear. "I saw you with Cayde last night. Saw you get drunk and leave with him. I'm onto you." He pushed her away and when she turned around, he was gone. She shuddered and rubbed her wrist as Sisre and Rorick found her.

Rorick's eyes never left Sisre. He was obviously impressed and Sisre was pleased with herself, grinning ear to ear. She handed Wren a drink and held up her own before downing it in a few gulps.

"C'mon Wren, they've got a table ready for us. Have you seen Beorn and Franz?"

Wren's hand shook but she hid it as best she could by grabbing her glass with both hands. "No, I haven't seen them yet."

"Oh well, let's get up there." Sisre and Rorick turned to go back through the crowd and Wren had to stay close to keep from being drown in the crowd.

The table prepared for them was a booth toward the open kitchen, set up above the others. From there Wren could see over the tops of most people's heads. She let Rorick and Sisre sit down first, then Flak came up out of nowhere and sat on the opposite end of the semi-circle seat. He didn't give her so much as a passing glance.

Beorn and Franz scoot in beside Flak, pinning him in. It put Wren at ease knowing he couldn't easily get away. A round of drinks was brought to the table, but Wren hadn't even touched the one Sisre had given her. It didn't feel right drinking anywhere near Flak.

Rorick stood from the middle of the table and lifted his glass. Sisre let out a loud whistle that caught the attention of everyone in the room. They fell silent and Rorick's brown eyes scanned over the crowd.

"As Guardians we may feel the Darkness is forever closing in on us. We may feel we'll never gain a foothold in this war. But times like this show us what we are capable of. The Sword of Crota, slayer or Guardians, can never take a life again."

The restaurant erupted with cheers. When they calmed again Rorick spoke.

"Our team was given a tremendous responsibility with this mission and we're honored to be able to return to the Tower with this win. Well, that's enough with the formalities. Tonight, we celebrate!"

Everyone raised their glasses with him and took their drink together. Wren raised hers to her lips and took a sip, but no more. The crowd went about their business, and waiters came around to get their orders. Wren fidgeted under the table, unsure of what to order. Cayde had gotten her spicy ramen last time and although she didn't want it, she also didn't know what else to get. She waited until the others ordered before choosing to get the same thing as Sisre.

Flak glared at her from across the table, but then his gaze shifted to her right. A sweet looking man stood there, a waiter's tray in hand. He had messy blond hair, warm hazel eyes, and a crooked grin.

"Wren?" he asked, his thumbs clicking on the tray.

"Yes?"

"I um… I saw you in here before with Cayde, Franz, and Beorn. I made your spicy ramen that night."

"Oh," Wren was taken aback. She shifted to face him, feeling the eyes of the others at the table on her as she spoke to the man. "Yes, that was my first day at the Tower."

"My ramen was the first thing you ate?"

"Well, yes, I suppose it was."

"What did you think?" His cheeks flushed and he leaned in slightly.

"It was delicious."

"Thank you," he bowed. "Spicy is my specialty. Are you eating it again?"

"I'm sorry, I thought I'd try something else this time."

"Oh," his shoulders dropped slightly, but he picked himself back up quickly. "That's alright. I'll do my best for you."

Wren's mouth fell open slightly and she had no idea what to say to him but "Thank you."

He bowed again and scampered off, glancing over his shoulder once before heading into the kitchen. Sisre giggled and nudged Wren's elbow.

"Lookie here," she teased, "I think Koro's in love."

"But I… I don't even know him," Wren said, leaning close to Sisre. "What do I do?"

"Eat his food," Sisre shrugged. "I mean, he's no Cayde, but he's cute. Besides… I don't mean to discourage you or anything, but the whole time I've been a Guardian I've never known Cayde to be serious with anyone. Koro's a nice back up just in case."

"Wait what? Cayde? I never said I wanted to be with Cayde," she tried to keep her voice hushed but she still felt Flak staring at her.

Sisre patted her hand and looked over Wren's shoulder with a sly grin. "If you say so."

Wren turned around to see Cayde standing behind her with two drinks in his hands. His smile looked more forced than earlier when he set down one of the drinks for her.

"Just don't ah, you know, get too drunk tonight," he said. "Well, I think I see Emelie over there so… I'll be going now."

"Cayde—" Wren called out to him but he didn't turn around. He just walked down the stairs and out into the crowd. Surprising, she felt a twinge of regret and guilt. Maybe she cared more than she thought. That thought made her stomach drop. She couldn't get involved with him. She took a drink, never taking her eyes off the glass he'd left for her. She didn't even know what it was supposed to feel like to well… like someone.

She didn't have to worry about the drinks set out before her. Soon the others were so drunk they were drinking anything within arm reach. Empty bowls littered the table and Wren had been able to take the drink Cayde left for her and sip on it instead of the others, which Sisre had happily gulped down.

They talked and laughed, even Flak, who was listening to Beorn and Franz argue the retelling of a story. But Wren couldn't stop looking for Cayde. Every once in awhile she caught sight of him, moving around through the crowd, chatting with people before disappearing again.

Wren was getting antsy. It was getting hot in the restaurant and the over crowding was slowly eating away at her. She felt she had to get out and about that time she looked up to see Cayde walking out the front door. The others weren't paying any attention, Sisre too involved with whispering in Rorick's ear, so Wren slipped out of the booth and down the steps to push her way through the crowd and out the door.

There weren't as many people outside as there had been earlier so spotting Cayde walking away was easy. He turned a corner and she pulled up her skirt to jog toward him, dropping it only when she rounded the corner.

"Cayde?" she called and this time he turned around.

"Hey, they're gonna miss their star Guardian if you're gone."

"Not hardly." Wren forced a smile. "I'm sorry about last night."

"For what? Not the first time a Hunter's had one too many."

"Maybe not but just… I'm sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for. So… what are you doing out here?"

"That's not really my scene. It's just too much. I thought maybe… maybe we could go on that Sparrow ride?"

Cayde blinked at her, then stared up at the Tower, looming between rooftops, casting a bright light against the night sky. For a moment she thought he was going to say no, but then he turned to her and said, "I'll meet you by the North Gate in half an hour. You better go tell Sisre where you're headed, or she'll freak out."

"I don't think that's necessary."

Cayde raised a brow and laughed. "Sis is a mother hen. Trust me, it's necessary. At least let her know you're leaving the party."

"Alright," Wren relented. "I'll see you at the North Gate."

Half an hour came and went and Wren stood alone at the North Gate. A few people passed her by but none paid any attention. Eventually she sat on a low concrete bench and stared up at the stars. There weren't many to be seen within the walls. Between the city lights and the glow of the Traveler, the sky wasn't dark enough to make out any constellations.

"Wren," Kiran said gently, "maybe we should go back now."

"Just wait a little longer."

After an hour Wren gave up, collected her things, and trudged back to the Tower, her legs heavy as stone. Why hadn't he come? Had something come up? Why hadn't he sent anyone to tell her he couldn't make it? She shuffled along, kicking stones across the path until someone called to her.

"Wren?"

She looked up to see Koro walking toward her, confusion twisting his face.

"What are you doing way out here?" he asked.

"I was supposed to meet someone. It's no big deal. I'm pretty tired so I'm just going to go home."

"I have to go that way for a delivery. Mind if I walk with you?"

Wren hesitated. She didn't want company, but she didn't want to be rude either. "Sure."

"You haven't been a Guardian very long, right?"

"No."

"How great that you've been able to do such great things in such a short amount of time. I mean, the Sword of Crota? That's crazy."

"That's one way to put it I guess." Frankly she was getting tired of hearing about it.

"It must be so weird; waking up one day and not knowing who you are or where you came from."

Wren's head snapped toward him, her gaze questioning. "It is."

"I remember meeting my first Guardian. I was just a kid and when I heard her story, I couldn't help but feel like I understood what she meant, but that I also couldn't grasp it."

"I'm sorry, I don't follow."

"Well, my parents died when I was little. I don't remember anything before that. Nothing. They say I was in shock or something, I don't know. Either way, everything before then is just gone. The people who own the ramen shop took me in and gave me a home; a purpose. But I still wonder what I was like before my parents died. It's kinda sad to think about."

Wren didn't reply. She stared down at the road as they walked. She hadn't given much though to her life before being a Guardian. All she could grasp was all she didn't know. Learning day by day what things were and how things felt had been like putting puzzle pieces together with the picture side facing down. It was coming together, but it still didn't make much sense.

Her life before she died? Who had she been?

Koro spoke again and interrupted her train of thought. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get you down."

"No, it's alright. I just hadn't thought about it much."

"Do you mind if I ask who you were supposed to be meeting way out here?"

"I don't want to say."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Koro inhaled and asked, "Was it Cayde? I saw you walk out after him and just thought…"

"I don't want to talk about it," Wren said softly.

"You don't have to. But I don't want you to get hurt so I'll just say, I've known Cayde a long time and I don't think I've ever seen him with anyone as more than friends before."

"Why does everyone keep talking about him like I'm trying to be with him?" Wren snapped, stopping in her tracks. The look of surprise on his face softened her and she sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Koro. It's just…Seems like everyone is making comments about me and Cayde and it's—"

"Hey, don't apologize," he said with a faint smile. "It's not any of my business. I'm sorry I upset you."

"I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's not your fault."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. You're under a lot of pressure and you're not sure of how to deal with it all yet. I get it. But look, this is my stop. I'll see you around?"

"Of course," she forced a smile and he turned to walk down an alley.

Wren picked up the pace toward the Tower, Kiran appearing over her shoulder. He didn't speak all the way home and even once they were in their room and Wren had left her dress in a heap on the floor, he stayed close but didn't speak a word. He rested on her shoulder while silent tears dripped onto her pillow until at last, she fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Fireteam Cerulean stood before the Speaker at the first light of dawn. The group of them was tired, worn down from the previous night's festivities, but none of them dared show it. The giant armillary sphere nearby spun slowly, its mechanisms gliding smoothly in an endless loop, a faint breeze wafting past them with every pass of the massive metal rings.

Wren kept toward the back of the group, only half listening to the Speaker. Her hands gripped behind her back and fidgeted under her cloak. She'd been able to avoid seeing Cayde and she wished they could be on their way so she wouldn't have to.

"We've come to understand the vast potential of this fireteam," the Speaker said. "It's come to my attention that there may be Hive on the Moon performing a ritual to drain the Traveler's Light. We don't understand this power, but we do understand its dangers. Go to the Moon, Cerulean, and destroy the source of this power."

"We'll do our best," Rorick swore.

"I expect nothing less. You and your team are dismissed Rorick. You must leave immediately. If you require provisions, we'll send a team out later with whatever you need."

"Thank you." Rorick bowed his head to the Speaker, then turned to his team. "Let's go."

Wren nodded to the Speaker and left, following the group toward the hanger. They passed through the courtyard and Wren tensed. She resisted the urge to look toward the command room and kept her attention ahead, until Beorn and Franz fell back beside her.

"Looks like you're the only one who doesn't feel like shit," Franz smirked.

"Nonsense," Beorn said. "I feel fine."

"Yeah, well, you're an Exo."

"I meant to check in on you last night," Beorn said, turning his attention to Wren. "We're you feeling unwell?"

"I was just tired is all."

"Understandable. I think I slept more the first few months of being a Guardian than I have since. It's exhausting until you can get used to it."

"Probably a good thing you left early," Franz said, stretching his arms over his head. "I had to drink that crap Sisre uses to get rid of hangovers."

"I had that yesterday morning," Wren said. "Frankly, it's enough to make me not want to drink again for a while."

"You got drunk?" Franz gasped. "Without us? Jeeze, Wren. I thought we were friends."

Wren chuckled and shook her head. "Trust me, I didn't do it on purpose."

"Well, you'll have to invite us next time."

"If there is a next time."

"You're a Guardian now," Beorn said. "There will be a next time."

Wren didn't like the way he said it, or the way Franz's smile faded. It didn't last, however. The Warlock perked right back up and smiled and broad, toothy grin.

"Then there'll be plenty of time for us to get drunk together and cause some trouble."

"You're impossible," Beorn said. "Look, Franz. Holliday got your ship painted."

"Awesome. Let's go take a look. C'ya on the Moon, Wren."

The pair of them waved their goodbyes and headed off toward the first dock where Franz's ship had been freshly painted black with gray and lime green accents. The Warlock symbol was proudly emblazoned on each wing and Wren had to admit it was impressive.

Franz hauled himself up onto the wing, Beorn keeping to the catwalk to circle as much of the ship as possible. The two of them chatted and laughed and thanked Holliday for the fantastic job. The blonde woman didn't notice Wren as she passed and Wren was glad for it.

She slipped on by and quickened her pace when a voice called out behind her.

"Wren!"

It was Cayde. She pulled herself up into the cockpit of her ship, pretending not to hear him over the roar of engines starting on other craft, and the clattering sounds of mechanics hard at work. He called to her once more and she closed herself away, not daring to glance down at him though she could see his form stopping in her peripheral. He waved an arm at her but she turned away, occupying herself with buttons and gauges that meant nothing in the moment. Anything to keep from looking at him.

A call went out to clear the docks and she could see him backing away until at last she couldn't help herself. Her eyes went to rest on him and the pang in her chest made her regret it. The ships around him caused his cloak to blow back and slap against the metal rails of the catwalk. His blue eyes shined intensely up at her but his face remained nearly expressionless. He picked up a radio from a console beside him and spoke into it.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Wren," Kiran said, gently, hovering over her shoulder. "I really don't think he meant to leave you out there alone."

"He had options."

Kiran floated up to look down on Cayde but didn't say anything else about it. Wren took one last look at him, inhaled shakily, and turned her back. It was harder to do than she thought it would be and she fought with herself to stay looking forward.

"You know…" Kiran began slowly, "maybe it'd be a good idea to admit that you care more than you thought you did."

Wren set her jaw. "I don't care at all."

"I know you're proud, but you don't have to be with me. If you're hurt, and I know you are, it's okay to say so. You have every right to be upset, but you also need to get the other side of the story before casting judgment. He is a Vanguard after all. Who knows what he got caught up in?"

"I still think he could have found a way to let me know."

"At least talk to him about it when we get back."

Wren huffed through her nose, unable to stop herself from looking back at the catwalk an instant before being released for flight. He was still there.

"Fine."

Cerulean took the high ground overlooking the entrance to the Hellmouth, Rorick and Sisre at the forefront of the group. Hive wandered about here and there but for the most part the area was clear. Wren scanned the surroundings, taking it in when she hadn't been able to the last time she was there.

Deep cracks and gouges in the Moon's surface glowed with green light from beneath. Thick tracks from manmade vehicles cut into the pale, rocky, surface. Craggy, mountainous terrain loomed over the entrance to the Hellmouth and the crater that bordered the right side of the area seemed vaster than it had before once she had a chance to slow down and observe.

Flak had rejoined their team and for now, was keeping his distance from her. Wren wondered what Cayde had him doing while she was destroying the Sword, but the curiosity wasn't enough to make her want to ask. He had been out of the way and away from her. That was good enough.

Brix hovered close by Rorick's head, speaking so low Wren could barely hear him.

"The ritual could be happening anywhere. If us Ghosts can scan some of these cracks we might be able to map below the surface and pinpoint the location."

"Alright," Rorick said, turning to them, "we should split up. Beorn, Sisre; you two sit back here and cover us. The rest of us should find cracks deep enough for our Ghosts, and scan from there."

Wren nodded confirmation and hopped off the ledge to walk toward the crater. Hive were still in the distance and didn't seem to notice them, so her Better Devils remained holstered, though she did pop the clasp just incase she needed a quick draw.

She could hear the others fanning out in other directions until at last is was just her own bootsteps. The cracks were deeper than they appeared from far off, the glow intensifying to nearly white light the deeper they went. How was that possible? The darkness within the caves had been stifling; nothing like what she was seeing from above.

Kiran emerged and drifted down into one of the cracks until she could barely see a difference in his light and that of the crevice. She kept an eye out around her for Hive while Kiran worked, but saw none nearby.

In the distance, Rorick punched a Thrall and the creature crumpled to ash. Flak was nowhere to be seen, but she caught the tail end of Franz's robes as he crested a hill farther away from the Hellmouth.

"Almost done," Kiran said. "There. I don't have enough on my own but I'm sure the others can fill in the blanks. Feels close though."

Wren made her way back up the hill moments before Franz returned, flying along the edge of the crater on his Sparrow. He slowed near them but didn't dismount.

"Vira scanned the far cavern and said she felt it was too far out. Whatever is happening down there, it isn't in that direction."

"Kiran said it was close toward this middle section," Wren said.

"Hey, Rorick is signaling us to join him," Sisre said, sniper rifle trailed on their fireteam leader. "Let's go."

"What about Flak?" Beorn asked.

"Screw him," Franz huffed. "He'll see us and catch up."

Wren and Sisre exchanged glances. They had reasons to dislike the Hunter, but did Beorn and Franz? Last Wren saw, they were talking and laughing, drunk, at their party just the night before. Had something happened since then?

"I know you're tired, but that's no reason to be hostile," Beorn said and Wren's suspicions faded. "Here he comes now."

Flak rode by without a second glance and Wren prickled. Franz grumbled under his breath and sped off toward the Temple. Beorn quickly mounted up and raced after them, falling in close beside Franz.

"Wonder what that was about?" Sisre asked.

"I have no clue. Maybe Beorn's right and Franz is just tired."

"While I can't be mad at him for not like Flak; I'd totally understand if he didn't, I can't help but wonder why."

"Ask him later. I'm sure he'd gladly spill the beans."

"True," Sisre said, her Sparrow appearing before her.

"Maybe they'll help me paint my Sparrow," Wren mused as she mounted her own, green paint flecking off in the movement.

Sisre laughed. "Wouldn't hurt to ask. And you could ask them what's up. Anyway, I'll see you there."

She was off in a flask of blue flames, tearing across the rocky terrain, Wren hot on her heels. They came up into the circle with the others, their Ghosts hovering, sharing information until at last Brix separated himself from the others to speak with Rorick.

"We believe the activity is coming from inside the Temple of Crota. We should head there."

Rorick nodded, his helmet turning toward the rest of his team. "Looks like we're headed back to the Temple. Stay together and keep your eyes peeled for Hive. I can't imagine they'd allow a ritual like this to go unguarded."

Cerulean sped along the narrow canyons in single file, Wren at the end of the line, until they came upon the area where Wren had first met Sisre. The tower was crawling with Fallen, as was the deserted base on the left wall. They dismounted and curved left, picking off the Fallen who were trying to guard what resources remained.

Being at the back, Wren didn't have a reason to taking a shot; instead keeping out of the way for the rest of her team to do their jobs until at last they were funneling through the same sliver of a canyon they'd traversed to save Rorick. Halfway through static came in over the line and Wren paused to pick it up more clearly.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Not sure," Kiran replied, "there's too much interference. Maybe it's the Speaker."

"But the others aren't acknowledging it. Is it coming to me directly?"

"Looks like it, but I really can't get it to clear up. Just head into the clearing ahead and maybe I can fix it once we're in the open."

"Should I tell the others?"

"Not yet. Let's see if we can get it to clear up."

Wren trotted to catch up to Beorn, who hadn't noticed she'd lagged behind. The static continued to buzz in her ears, but she couldn't make heads or tails of it. There seemed to be several different things clipping together. As they neared the door where the dead Guardian had been discovered before, a voice came in loud and clear, making Wren jump and turn around as if someone had snuck up behind her.

"You're interesting," the voice said. "Not entirely, but you have promise."

Wren froze, scanning her surroundings incase the speaker was close by. "Who is that?" she asked Kiran and Sisre turned.

"What?"

Wren held up and hand and spoke to Kiran. "Can you tell who's sending that?"

"No clue. I'm losing the signal."

The others had stopped but only Sisre approached Wren. She didn't speak, only stood close by, rifle at the ready.

"I know what you're about to do," the voice said again. "It's brave, but there are enemies out here you wouldn't believe."

"Out where?" Kiran asked.

Silence.

Goosebumps raced down Wren's arms.

"Go down and face the hive. If you live, come find me."

"I lost the signal, but I do have some partial coordinates," Kiran said.

"Where was she broadcasting from?" Wren asked.

"Venus. The Ishtar region."

"What's going on?" Sisre asked.

"Remember the last time we were here, and I said I saw a woman or… or someone watching us? I just received a transmission from someone. I think it might be the same person. She said that there are enemies we can't imagine and that if we live I… or we, should go find her."

"What a crock of bull," Flak snorted. "You expect us to believe that some random person is having private conversations with you?"

"What's your problem, buddy?" Franz asked, stepping between Flak and Wren, arms folded across his chest. Wren prickled. The last thing she wanted was for Franz, or anyone else for that matter, stepping in on her behalf.

Flak stared up at Franz but Rorick put a hand on his chest, forcing him to take a step back.

"That's enough," Rorick said, helmet turned to Franz. "I believe Wren. She has no reason to lie about something like that." He turned to Wren. "She said to face the Hive? So, we'll face the Hive. Either way, that's why we're here."

Flak stepped back from Rorick's hand which was still planted firmly in his chest. He huffed, the faceplate of his helmet facing Wren before turned to go into the Temple. Gunfire echoed after him but the rest of the team stayed where they were.

"He should be reported," Beorn said flatly, staring at Flak's form as it disappeared into the shadows.

"I can handle Flak," Rorick said, readying his auto rifle. "This team is still new. We've been part of fireteams with worse growing pains than this that eventually evened out and made us stronger."

Wren and Sisre exchanged glances. No doubt Sis wanted her to spill what had happened between herself and Flak, but Wren wasn't willing to do that. Flak was making himself look bad without her help. If he kept going at this rate, Rorick would figure it out on his own that Flak wasn't just a growing pain; he was trouble. She just had to be patient a little while longer.

"Let's go." Rorick led the way into the main room beyond the door. Flak had taken cover behind one of the partial walls and was firing his hand cannon at an ogre that was stuck on the lower level. Sisre finished the beast off with a couple well placed sniper rounds, and with one last piercing shriek, the Ogre faded to ash.

The remainder of Acolytes were quickly disposed of and the team dropped down one floor at a time, then to the right, under the area they had just come from. Massive opaque windows she had admired before only served to remind her that there was only darkness beyond. She took one last look over her shoulder before rounding the corner.

A Wizard on the far side of the room shot Arc energy at them, but the blue bolts only splashed against a room that seemed suspended in the middle of a walkway that was built into the right wall. A couple Acolytes stood in the open room and dropped quickly.

Cerulean followed Rorick without a word as he pushed onward, the team shredding enemies in their path with little trouble. Wren wished they could work like that all the time, not just in combat. It worried her. As much as she hoped Rorick would see Flak's attitude for what it was and eventually decide to put him on report, she had to wonder if his abilities in a fight would sway that.

Beorn suffered for Wren's distraction. An Acolyte shot him in the shoulder, knocking him off the walkway. Wren grabbed at his hand but his fingers slid through her gloved hand. She didn't know if she called out to him, or if any word escaped her as she threw herself to her knees to look over the edge. A gasp of relief and she put her head on the ground when she saw he'd landed safely on a platform below.

It was a close call and a lucky chance. The platform couldn't have been more than ten feet wide, the pit below extending too far to see. A couple more feet and he'd have been lost to them.

"I'm alright," he called up as the last Acolytes fell.

Franz clutched his auto rifle and looked over the edge as Beorn boosted himself up onto the platform. "Could you be any clumsier?" He grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him into a quick hug before the pair of them reloaded their weapons; ready to proceed.

Wren's face flushed and she lowered her face a little, ashamed to admit it was her fault Beorn had been knocked off in the first place. She'd have to put aside her concerns about Flak and focus on the mission at hand.

Rorick reloaded as well, then motioned for them to move. Their boots scuffed and tromped across the honeycomb patterned tiles and half-finished stairs as they descended farther. A few lanterns here and there kept them from having to use the lights of their Ghosts but the next corner they rounded stopped them in their tracks.

"Holy shit," Franz muttered under his breath.

Brix emerged in a flicker of blue and drifted toward a massive structure in the middle of the cavern.

"Hive Seeder," he said. "There have been too many of these sent to Earth as is. We need to finish this or there will be many more."

"Do we have time to take scans?" Beorn asked.

"Nope," Sisre said, raising her sniper. "We have company."

A couple of Knights rushed through a doorway to their right, swords held high. Cursed Thrall rushed forward with the more aggressive type Knights until they neared the fireteam; slowing to clutch at their guts before exploding in a flash of molten organic matter. Their blood sizzled on the rocks around them and the team backed up, firing into a group that pursued them.

A Knight broke lose and slammed his blade into the ground beside Flak, who dodged out of the way not a moment too soon. The creature screamed and swung again, grazing the top of Flak's helmet when he rolled back. Two quick shots rang out and the Knight dropped, only its armor left in a pile of ash.

Flak's hood fell around his shoulders, a deep cut in the material where the Knight's sword made contact. He clenched his fist and stood and although he didn't say anything, he also didn't go running off ahead of the team again.

Rorick tilted his head slightly and said, "Brix says we need to go farther. We're not there yet."

"About that scan…" Beorn said.

"Permission to stay behind," Rorick said. "Once your scan in complete, head to the surface. We don't need to be separated down here."

"I'll stay too," Franz said.

"Watch yourselves."

The pair of Warlocks nodded their agreement and Beorn pulled a tablet from his bag as Franz turned his back to his friend to keep guard. Their Ghosts drifted slowly up the sides of the Seeder, speaking quietly to each other.

"Keep moving," Rorick said, taking the lead once more to guide them into the depths. They descended several more staircases, Wren keeping to the back of the line until Rorick stopped so quickly the rest of them nearly ploughed into him.

In the next open chamber, a Hive ship slid through a portal, dropping more Hive to the floor. Thrall landed with sickening crunches, their boney limbs cracking with the force, but they flooded forth unphased. A Wizard hovered over them, clawed hands flexing in anticipation.

There was no time to fall back and regroup. The Wizard spotted them and with a piercing scream the Thrall whipped their heads toward the doorway where Cerulean stood at the ready, lining up shoulder to shoulder as the wave of Thrall rushed the stairs, some choosing to spring to the ledge before the team of Guardians.

Arc energy splashed around their feet. Sisre's sniper roared in Wren's ear. Even through the helmet her ears started to ring, the buzzing deafening her on the right side. The Wizard cried out, but the Thrall needed Wren's attention more. Wren backed up a step as the second shot fired but continued firing into the Thrall. Their bodies exploded from the rounds and only two were able to get close enough to take swipes at them.

"I think we're clear," Sisre said. "You okay, Wren?"

Wren shook her head, but the ringing persisted. She wished she could rub her ear, but the helmet was in the way. "Yeah. I should have known better."

"Tough lesson," Sisre laughed. "Come on girl, let's move."

Rorick jumped from the walkway and glided out, the others following. Wren hopped across the half pillars and rock formations toward a massive arched doorway, managing a headshot on a Knight that ran through the door. Three more followed the first, who was stunned by the blow. One more and it dropped. She didn't bother looking at the others, trusting her team to take care of them.

"We're close," Rorick said.

Soon they came upon a door, the first sealed one they'd seen since they'd unlocked the first. That place seemed so far away. Thinking of how deep they were in the Moon, made Wren's skin crawl. She glanced back the way they'd come; to the silent, empty halls.

Brix appeared again and hovered before the door. "This is it," he said. "The ritual is happening right inside. I feel it."

"It's oppressive," Kiran said, barely audible over the ringing in her ear. "Be careful."

The doors began to open, and Brix was gone in a flash. Three sections of the door slid apart revealing a chamber with three Siphon Witches performing a ritual on a large black rock that glowed with green light. Swirling tendrils of darkness emanated from the surface like fog. Wren's stomach twisted and she resisted the urge to vomit.

"Keep cool," Sisre whispered before raising her rifle to take a shot before the doors could fully open.

The Siphon Witches were more aggressive than normal Witches, but that was to be expected. A group of Guardians had disturbed their sacred ritual. Energy erupted from their palms, arcing across the room to strike the still opening doors.

Rorick didn't wait for them to finish. He rushed the door, spinning out of the way of a blast, his auto rifle shredding into one of the Witches. She shrank away from him in a cloud of inky, poisonous mist. Rorick flinched, dropping to a knee at the edge of the mist bubble which lingered even after the Siphon Witch fell.

"You okay over there?" Sisre called.

"Holding together." Rorick stood and walked toward the rock in the center of the room. "What is this?"

Before anyone could answer the squeal of an opening door caught their attention. Wren turned to look behind her an instant before being struck by a blinding void blast. Her entire body was engulfed in a cold chill, her skin prickling as though a million daggers pierced her at the same time. She didn't have time to cry out before everything went black.

The darkness around her was infinite. She stood in an abyss on a floor that was seemingly nonexistent but for a faint reflecting of herself. However, when she looked down, she found her reflection had no face and her stomach lurched. This place had neither light nor sound, a far cry from the chaotic sounds that erupted an instant after her death.

"Kiran?" she called into the void.

"Over here," a voice replied.

Wren turned to see Cayde, his back to her.

"Cayde?"

No response.

She took a step closer and he didn't move.

"Let's go," he said at last, but still he stayed facing away from her.

Tentatively she grabbed his cloak and he led her onward, into the emptiness.

"Where are we going?"

"Home," he said.

He led her in silence until fractals of light began to fall like snow until she was blinded, blinking until at last she opened her eyes to Sisre's helmet. Her fists loosened, the feel of Cayde's cloak vanishing as the Hive ritual chamber came back to view.

"First death?" Sisre asked, extending a hand to help Wren up.

"Yeah…" Wren glanced back at the floor where she'd fallen. Cayde. She'd spoken his name in her dream. Had she also said it out loud? No… no, she wasn't sleeping. She wasn't dreaming. She was dead.

"It's not that bad," Rorick said. "Now that you know, you don't have to fear it."

"Unless your Ghost is dead," Flak said flatly.

Rorick barely turned his head toward Flak, otherwise ignoring his comment. He faced the floating form once more and their Ghosts emerged. "What is it, Brix?"

"Whatever it is makes me sick to my stomach," Sisre said, stepping back.

"It's a shard of the Traveler," Brix said at last, a hint of confusion in his voice. The energy surrounding what Wren had previously thought was a rock, faded to reveal a shining white piece of the Traveler before dissipating in a swirling mist of light. "They were using it against the Traveler, but we've freed it. They can't use it against us anymore."

"And to think," Kiran began, "the transmission from Venus said there is far worse out there."

"I don't want to think about that," Sisre shuddered.

"Neither do I, but it's time we head there and see what all this is about."

"Where do we go from here?"

"We head back to the surface," Rorick said. "We can report to Zavala and find out our next step. There might be more to this person on Venus than meets the eye. I don't want to go there and risk it being a trap."

"A trap for what?" Flak scoffed. "One scrawny little Hunter? Please. Until I see this mystery person, I don't believe it."

"You don't have to," Rorick snapped. "You only have to follow orders."

Follow orders was exactly what they did. Once on the surface Zavala expressed the same concerns as Rorick and felt the private correspondence was too suspicious. For the moment they were to hold off on taking any sort of action as another issue had arisen on the Moon for them to take care of.

Beorn and Franz transferred the data they'd uncovered about the Hive Seeder, as the pod had launch locations for several other Seeders. Zavala immediately dispatched teams to those areas to destroy the ships and eradicate whatever Hive might have spawned from them.

"There's a shrine below the Hellmouth," Rorick explained. "Brix dredged up an old recording from the Warlock, Osiris that states the shrines should be destroyed. Zavala agrees. While we're already close, we'll delve into the shrine, destroy it, and scan for additional data."

"So, back to the Hellmouth," Sisre said.

Wren remembered the way. She remembered the dark corridors and stairwells. But this time there was an enemy she wasn't expecting.

Fallen.

The cavern that opened on one side to the crater beyond echoed with gunfire and angry screams before the Guardians arrived. A Fallen ship hovered on the canyon side, firing at a Knight near the opposite door. There was no chance for the sword bearer, but the creature charged the Fallen anyway.

"Grenades," Rorick said, lobbing one toward a group of Thrall that were tearing a dead Dreg to shreds.

The rest of Cerulean followed suit and the cavern erupted in a chaotic blast of light.

"I need a rocket launcher," Rorick grumbled when the Skiff turned its fire on them.

"You keep saying that," Sisre chuckled. "Move aside. I got this."

The rest of the team stood back in the safety of the stairwell while Sisre dropped to take aim on the Skiff. Wren was tempted to peek around and see if Sisre could take down the ship on her own but the massive explosion and sounds of crushing metal as the ship fell to the crater below was enough to convince her it was possible. She'd taken the ship down in less than ten shots. Wren was highly impressed.

"I could do that," Franz said, fist on his hip.

"Here," Sisre said, holding her rifle out to Franz who proceeded to hold his right shoulder and rotate it high over his head.

"I would but my shoulder's been real stiff today."

Sisre laughed and shook her head, slinging the rifle over her shoulder. "Sure thing, hot shot."

"Is this where you went to destroy the Sword of Crota?" Beorn asked Wren.

"Yeah. Just a little farther."

"The shrine must be beyond that point," Rorick said, reloading his weapons. "Be ready. Brix says there are more Hive in the chambers beyond."

They followed him through bone littered halls until they reached a door that had been sealed before in the room where she'd defeated the Swarm Princes. It felt strange to be back in that space. She half expected those Princes to rise from the depths of the pool at the far end, but the waters were still once the Thrall and Fallen were gone.

"Here we go," Sisre said, falling in line behind Rorick at the entrance to the doorway that led farther into the depths of the Hive fortress. Wren stepped in behind her and peered into the cave beyond.

It was a far cry from the room they were standing in. There were no steps, no tiled floor, no elaborate pillars. Only rough walls and smooth floor underfoot. Those caves didn't last long. Soon rocky walls gave way to carved ones and Kiran's spoke to her.

"We think the Fallen are saying there's a Baron here, probably close by. We're to keep quiet and on alert."

The other Guardians slowed their pace a little and Wren knew their Ghosts were also letting them in on what was happening.

"Wonder why a Baron is bothering with this place," Kiran mused.

The Baron wasn't as well guarded as Wren had been expecting. A few Dregs patrolled the small, circular chamber and the Baron himself was like a sitting duck. The whole thing felt odd. Why would a Baron come alone with hardly a guard at all? He was easy to pick off and had no escape route to speak of. Either the Fallen were more foolish than Wren thought, or they had a reason to believe they had the upper hand without much of an attack force.

Sisre fell back to the end of the line with Wren as they trudged deeper still into the fortress. Bones and barnacles crunched under their boots to the point that Wren hardly noticed it unless a slimy substance oozed onto her boots when a particularly large barnacle would erupt.

"So," Sisre said quietly, "where did you get off to last night? All you said was that you were leaving. Did you meet up with you-know-who?"

Wren clenched her jaw. "No. But I did see Koro."

"Oh yeah? What happened?"

"If I tell you what happened, it stays between us."

"Promise."

"I went to meet Cayde at the North Gate but…" Wren glanced at Beorn who walked only a couple of meters away. "He never showed up. I just ran into Koro on the way back."

"Cayde stood you up?"

"What? No. I mean, yeah, but it wasn't a date or anything so I don't think it could be considered being stood up." He cheeks burned under her helmet. Why was she defending him?

"And you're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm definitely mad. He could have said something, and he didn't. I sat out there—" she cut herself off, ashamed to admit how long she'd waited for him. "He could have sent someone to tell me he wasn't coming, and he didn't."

"Is that why he came to the hanger before we left?"

Wren nodded. Kiran's light shined bright before her, illuminating a dark, narrow tunnel cut into the rock.

"What did he say?" Sisre asked.

"That he was sorry."

"Did you accept his apology?"

"No."

Sisre nodded slowly. "You going to talk to him about it when we get back, or just let it go and cut things off on a personal level? I mean, like I said in the ramen shop; Cayde's a nice guy but I've never seen him with anyone romantically. I just don't want you to fall for him and get hurt."

"I told Kiran I'd talk to him. We'll see."

Up ahead Rorick made the signal to stop and the team halted. "The Ghosts' scans of the tunnels confirm that the fortress is more sprawling than we originally thought. The tunnels go on for miles, but we don't have time to chart them now, but Brix thinks we're close to the shrine. Is everyone ready?"

They all nodded and pushed on. At one point the cave opened up and their Ghosts' lights were no longer needed. They walked down a ramp to a round platform, but Wren was confused at what she saw there.

To the right the cavern opened up and dropped far beyond what she could see, but a bright, white light illuminated the space. How was there so much light here? Was this a canyon that led to the surface? It was so bright she couldn't handle looking at it long enough to make out what it was.

A roar echoed from below and the platform shook under her boots.

"I don't want to know what that was," Kiran said. "But something tells me we're about to find out."

"This is taking forever," Franz complained. "Why can't the Hive just build bases like everyone else?"

"Patience." Beorn nudged his fellow Warlock. "The information we bring back will be of great use."

Franz muttered something under his breath but Wren didn't catch it. She understood his frustration. It seemed they'd been walking for hours, and perhaps they had. Farther and farther they ventured until she found she wasn't on high alert as she had been when they'd first descended. Instead the trek had given her time to think about her earlier death and the vision she saw in the darkness.

Was it normal to see people in death? To talk to them? It'd felt so real. She wanted to ask Sisre but she didn't want to explain what she'd seen. Nor did she want to lie. Maybe when they were alone there might be a way to ask without giving away what she'd experienced.

"Woah," Franz breathed as they rounded the next corner and Wren looked up from Sisre's heels to the chamber before them.

For the most part it was just like any other they'd passed by in their miles of walking, but on the opposite side was something that didn't quite fit in. A massive tunnel with cables, wires, and tubing served as a door. It seemed much more Fallen than Hive and a blue light illuminated a band of the tunnel and curved around a corner where they could no longer see before starting its journey again at the beginning.

"It's like the lights are saying, 'Come this way.'" Franz said. "I don't like it."

"Could be a trap," Beorn said. "But we knew that coming in."

"The mission is to destroy the shrine," Rorick reminded. "Trap or not, we're moving forward. This is the only way. If there was another option, we'd take it instead."

They followed the tunnel until it opened into a cavern where a secured in a glass room was visible across the chasm. A massive sphere sat in the middle of the secured room on a pedestal, rings like an armillary sphere circled it but didn't seem to be moving. A stone walkway rounded to the right and had a few Hive milling about, none of them noticing the fireteam when they entered.

"That's the shrine," Rorick said. "We'll have to find a way in there."

"Well, let's do it then," Franz groaned. "I'm bored to death."

"Have at it." Rorick waved toward the Hive on the walkway.

Franz and Beorn ran toward the Hive, taking them down with ease.

"He's so weird," Sisre laughed, propping up on her sniper as she watched the Warlocks until they moved around the curve where a stone pillar blocked the view of the rest of the cavern.

An instant later the familiar roar of an ogre shook the ground under their feet and a blast of void energy flashed around the curve, following Franz and Beorn who were running full speed back to the group.

Wren laughed and shook her head, following Rorick and Sisre as they went to the Warlocks' aid, aware of how closely Flak was following. Although it was impossible, she could swear she felt him breathing down her neck, which pushed her to catch up with Sisre.

She dodged behind a half pillar when the Ogre's eye blast plashed against the other side. Void energy chilled her as it passed, flashing her back to Cayde in the darkness of death. As soon as the blast shifted, she ran from cover and fired a few rounds into the Ogre's disformed, fleshy forehead. It stumbled back and its Void blast ceased, allowing the others to finish it off.

Franz propped on his knees, holding a thumbs up over his head. "Thanks."

"Still bored?" Rorick asked as he passed, the slightest hint of a smile on his voice.

"Nope. No. I'm good."

"Then let's get moving."

The tunnel beyond was full of Thrall, but Rorick took them out with one grenade and walked through as if nothing had happened. Wren just wanted it to be over with. She thought of the battle ahead, and more, about walking all the way out of the depths of the Moon once they were finished. In a way, she was ready for it. Ready to be back on Earth, moving toward the next thing. But… there was Cayde. She'd have to talk to him about what happened and that made her want to stay in the Shrine and live there. She exhaled slowly.

"Are you okay?" Kiran asked.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Wren whispered.

"What was that?" Sisre asked.

"Nothing."

Sisre faced her a moment more, then nodded before concentrating on the path ahead.

They rounded the corner to see the Shrine; not locked behind doors as Wren was expecting. It was an open room with a group of Acolytes knelt before the orb in the center. Did they really think an Ogre and a few Acolytes and Thrall would be enough to protect something so important? Rorick must have been thinking the same because he held up a hand to halt them.

"Keep your eyes open," he said quietly. "These can't be the only guards. Pick them off from back here and we'll see what happens."

Sisre prepped her sniper rifle while Franz and Beorn pulled scout rifles from their backs. Wren stepped out of their way, letting those with longer-range weapons take the lead. Gunfire echoed through the cavern and when the Acolytes were gone, she thought for sure something would happen. She expected more Ogres, Wizards maybe. But nothing happened. The room was silent except for the gentle whirring sounds of mechanical arms that pumped around the Shrine.

Rorick tread closer, cautious in his movements. They jumped onto the platform where the Acolytes had been when a sound behind them caused the whole team to turn around. The door they'd come through slid closed but there was no time to get through it.

"We'll handle that later," Rorick said when his team turned to him. "We still have a mission to complete."

Brix appeared before Rorick and the other Ghosts followed suit, Kiran popping up last.

"We need to scan the Shrine to see how to shut it down," Brix said to the other Ghosts and the group of them floated toward the sphere, Cerulean following, keeping an eye on them.

Wren's eyes trailed on the other doors around the room, still sealed tight. Her gut twisted. This was too easy. Kiran and the other Ghosts descended into a round room below the Shrine. It was a small, cramped space with a column in the middle inlaid in pale blue light. The Ghosts flitted about, Cerulean keeping to the doorways to allow their Ghosts plenty of space. Their lights scanned until one of them found a point and the others swarmed to assist them.

Brix turned around. "The signal is coming from far beyond the edge of this system. We're going to try to sever the contact without getting sucked into a trans dimensional vortex."

"We'll protect the Shrine," Rorick said. "Do what you need to do."

Brix made a nodding motion, his shell swirling before returning to the column.

"Uh…. Guys?" Franz said from the back of the group.

Cerulean exited the underside of the Shrine to see another door across from them opening to reveal a few smaller enemies and the biggest Knight Wren had ever seen. The massive creature glowed green between its armor and joints, its body taking up most of the doorway. It towered above the Acolytes that swarmed through the door by its feet. The Knight entered the room and raised its rifle high overhead and let out a yell that shook the ground beneath their feet.

Sisre slapped Rorick's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Why don't you ever have a rocket launcher?"

"I'll put in an order with Banshee," Rorick grumbled, drawing his auto rifle.

Cerulean scattered, taking cover in places that best suit their weapon ranges. Sisre dropped back to the door of the Shrine, her back to the column where the Ghosts were working and took guard. Her sniper rounds tore into the Knight's head, staggering it. Bits of armor that hadn't yet fused to its body dropped in chunks on the ground, scattering under the feet of Acolytes.

The Acolytes themselves were easy to pick off, their bodies turning to ash before most of them could take a shot. The Knight took off after Flak with alarming speed, firing its rifle at the dodging Hunter, energy rounds ripping through Flak's already tattered cloak.

Wren could hear Flak yelling and cursing, demanding they get the Knight off him. He disappeared into an area behind the Shrine and could no longer be heard, the Knight still hot on his heels, shooting into the small area. Wren froze. She didn't want to help him, and guilt dropped like a stone in her belly. Flak rolled from the other side of the room, but Rorick and Beorn had already gotten the Knight's attention.

A purple bubble sprang up around the Titan and Warlock an instant before the Knight's fist rocked the ground. Beorn stumbled with the shock but Rorick held his ground. Sisre raised her sniper rifle and Wren thought she'd try her Golden Gun again. She moved into position, the Knight still focused on Rorick and Beorn even though its energy rounds deflected off the shield.

Her body glowed, heat pulsing from the fiery gun in her hand. Solar rounds ripped through the Knight and the creature roared, dropping to its knees for Sisre to finish it off. Ash fell onto Rorick's bubble before it collapsed. Wren exhaled sharply and dropped the Better Devils in its holster, feeling her energy drained.

The Ghosts swarmed from under the Shrine, Brix in the lead. The others went to their Guardians and disappeared, but Brix stayed.

"The Shrine is weakened," he said to Rorick. "It can be destroyed now."

"You heard him," Rorick said. "Everyone back up and unload on the Shrine."

Cerulean put their backs to the wall and did as they were told. The Shrine swirled red and energy drew toward the sphere before it finally imploded in a blinding light. Pieces of metal rained down on them, but the Shrine was gone, leaving an empty mass of mechanical arms and braces.

"Good work team," Rorick said. "Time to go home."

"I guess you should think about what to say to Cayde," Kiran said privately.

Wren leaned against the wall. "I don't… I don't know."

Sisre came up to Wren, slinging her rifle over her shoulder. "So, you wanna chat now?"

The rest of the team went ahead of them but Wren hung back anyway to be sure no one would be within earshot.

"I'm not sure I want to talk about it," Wren said, walking side by side with Sisre.

"Ah, still trying to think about what to say to Cayde? Have you decided if you're going to forgive him?"

"Hard to say until we're face to face. I'm not as angry right now, but I'm also too tired to be angry."

"Be a little spitfire," Sisre laughed, bumping Wren with her hip. "Don't go easy on him."

"But don't be too harsh either," Kiran pushed.

Sisre shrugged. "You'll know what to do."

Wren hoped she was right.


	16. Chapter 16

Wren dropped from her ship onto the plush grass of a field outside of an abandoned human settlement. Wild cattle grazed in the distance, a few of them lifting their heads to observe her, but after deeming her no thread, they continued their meal.

Small flowers dotted the fields and shrubs had begun to creep in from the edge of the forest. A cold wind blew in from the north and she exhaled a sharp breath of fog.

Beyond the forest the mountains rose high over the treetops. The craggy cliffs jutted up into the clouds, obscuring their snowy peaks. They were breathtaking, shaming their sisters on the Moon,

Wren was happy to be back on Earth, free of her helmet and able to see more than stark white.

"There should be plenty of Spinmetal in the forest," Kiran said, floating out toward the trees. He stopped a few feet out and turned to her. "you should have worn your armor."

"This is a peaceful area," she said. "No tech for Fallen to steal, no dark caves for Hive. It's safe."

"But the whole mountain is a darkness zone."

"We're not going up there either. We'll be fine, Kiran."

Wren tightened the fur collar of her cloak and checked the laces of her boots before mounting her Sparrow. Franz and Beorn had spent hours helping her scrape off the flaking green paint to redo it all in a flat black. It wasn't fancy like some of the others she'd seen, but at least it didn't look as bad as before.

The Sparrow repairs had been necessary, but it had also been a cover. She didn't want to seek out Cayde, but more hoped she could run into him. When that didn't happen at Cerulean's debriefing, she thought being in the hanger might help. For all the hours she spent there, she never saw him once. No one had and the Vanguard were unwilling to discuss it. Zavala claimed it was classified and Ikora insisted Cayde was fine.

Wren couldn't ask further. People would get the wrong idea and that was the last thing she needed. There was already too much to deal with keeping the Better Devils on her hip.

Flak had given her the most trouble about it, but she hadn't missed stares and whispers from other Guardians at seeing her in basic armor with a new, pristine weapon at her side. She didn't think Cayde had done it on purpose to draw attention to her and had she not grown to love the hand cannon, she might have put it in the Vault.

"Let's get this over with," Kiran sighed.

"Why? You have somewhere to be?" Wren laughed.

"No. Just don't like being so close to the mountain."

"We'll keep our distance. Spinmetal shouldn't grow that far up anyway."

Wren didn't wait for him to protest. She leaned forward, settling in before taking off like a shot across the fields. This time the whole heard of cattle raised their heads to her, the calves running to their moths while the older ones waited to see if she would get any closer.

Tall grasses parted beneath her, rustling like waves as she neared the tree line. A path wide enough for two Sparrows to ride side by side had been cut between a pair of twin oaks that towered like guards on either side of the entrance.

A symbol had been painted on the trees and although smudged and faded, it was clearly a sign that this was a resource trail for Spinmetal.

She slowed in the forest, keeping her eyes peeled for the shimmering silver leaves Zavala had sent her after. There were cut stalks here and there with buds of fresh leaves from revoking plants, but Wren passed them by in search of mature plants.

"Where did Spinmetal come from? What's its story?"

"Not sure," Kiran admitted. "They don't seem very natural though, do they? Maybe the Traveler had something to do with them."

Wren turned sharply to the left when the trail split and stared into the darkness before her. The right path had smaller, thinned out trees. Sunlight filtered to the dirt path below and a brown rabbit bolted across to the safety of the bushes. The path was free of grass and debris, well-worn under Sparrows.

The left path grew thick, the canopy blocking light. The trail had more grass and wasn't as well worn. Her heart raced and she slowly drifted toward the darkness.

"Are you sure you want to go that way?"

"The other path is well travelled. We'll have to go a lot farther to find the Spinmetal and I don't want to do that. Besides, doesn't this side look more exciting?"

"Looks like death."

"Oh, please," Wren laughed. "let's go."

Kiran chuckled nervously but stayed beside her, shining his light through the trees are she slowly rode down the path.

A couple miles in and Wren was beginning to think she'd made the wrong decision. They hadn't seen the first spring of Spinmetal. She considered going bac when she heard a creek ahead. At the water's edge Kiran drifted over the middle of the creek, his light falling on the path that picked back up on the other side but in his movement, Wren caught a glimpse of something silver.

"What's that?" she asked.

Kiran shifted and the glint turned into a bright shining mass of Spinmetal on the opposite bank.

"Perfect," Wren said, dismounting the Sparrow. It lowered to rest on the ground, but Kiran didn't transmat it away in case they need to make a quick escape.

Rock to rock she crossed the creek, icy water soaking into her boots.

"Be careful," Kiran warned.

"I've got this. Can you see if there's any more nearby?"

Kiran hesitated before floating off, leaving Wren to cut leaves from the plant. The area around the water's edge was thick with Spinmetal very few of them had been cut before.

"There's so much," Kiran said as Wren moved toward the next patch, bag nearly full.

"I was thing the same thing. I wonder why people don't come this way when Spinmetal is so abundant here."

"Because it's dark and spooky."

"We've been in darker, scarier places than this. Most Guardians have, I'd think. Doesn't really explain it."

A shadow darted between the trees in Wren's f periphery and she snapped her head toward the movement.

"What was that?"

"What? Where?" Kiran's light passed over trees, but say nothing,

"I thought I saw something move over there,"

"Hurry up and let's get out of here."

"I still have another bag to fill. I'm not going back with a load because I was scared off by a shadow."

"You don't have to. We can get the rest from the other path."

Wren stood silent, still, waiting. The babbling creek was the only sound besides the faint clicking of Kiran's shifting shell. No rustle of leaves or bird calls. No crickets, frogs, or footsteps. All was still.

"I was probably just imagining it."

"Urgent transmission to any Guardians in Old Russia."

Zavala's booming voice made Wren jump. Kiran flashed and disappeared. Wren slapped her hand over her heart and let out a sharp breath and chuckle at the realization.

"Scared me to death," she muttered.

"Is anyone near the northern area of the Shatterstone Mountain range?

"This is Wren. I'm in the forest at the foot of Warstead Peak."

"Good. Unless anyone else is closer, I'll contact you on a private line. Standby."

Kiran reappeared and made what could be considered a shrugging motion in response to Wren's confused expression.

"Wren?" Zavala's voice came through.

"I'm here."

"I assume it's coincidence that your resource retrieval mission led you to that specific mountain range?"

Wren glanced at Kiran, confused at the suspicion in the Commander's voice.

"Kiran suggested the forest as a popular place to search for Spinmetal."

Zavala fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "You're aware that there is a darkness zone extending halfway up the mountain up to its peak?'

"Yes."

"The mission I'm about to give you is strictly confidential. I can't give you any information as to the original mission, but what you do know will be classified. DO you understand/

"Yessir."

"Cayde went on a mission to that range two days ago. Our last communication with him was cut off after the sounds of heavy gunfire. We need someone to track him down and if possible, bring him home."

Wren's shoulders dropped. He'd been missing since the day he tried to apologize to her.

"What are his last known coordinates?" Kiran asked when Wren failed to reply.

Wren inhaled and drew her gaze toward the canopy, where barely a sliver of light broke through the dense limbs. Cayde was out there, somewhere, possibly injured of dead. Guilt sank into her bones that she'd been laughing and joking with friends, unaware that he was alone in the wilds, facing unknown dangers.

"I'll send the coordinates to you," Zavala said. "Track his position from there and update until you no longer can. I suspect he's headed into the darkness zone farther up the mountain. Once you get an idea of where he might have gone, we'll send Holliday in for an evac."

Understood," Kiran said.

"Are you still there Guardian?"

"Yessir. I'll track him down," Wren replied, snapping back at the question.

"Good. We'll be awaiting your reply."

The line went quiet and they were alone once more.

"Cayde's last known location isn't far from here," Kiran said, floating toward the other side of the creek where the forest path became narrower and more overgrown. "We should get going. Wish you had your armor."

"We don't have time to go back for it now." Wren slung the full back of Spinmetal onto her sparrow and mounted up.

"Just be careful." Kiran disappeared, choosing to speak to Wren in safety. "Head up the trail a couple miles. There should be a path on the right that heads up the mountain.

Water arced behind her as she crossed, sizzling on the flames that roared from the Sparrow. The path grew harder to navigate, causing her to stop several times to dismount and climb over fallen trees or boulders that had crumbled from the cliffs above.

"Maybe we should ditch the Sparrow," Kiran said. "Last thing we need is a rockslide."

"Do you think that's what happened to Cayde?"

"Hm… maybe, but I doubt it. He may be kind of dumb sometimes, but he's not entirely stupid. Believe it or not, he's a skilled tracker and I doubt he'd do anything to cause a rock—"

Kiran was cut off by the echo of gunfire, each shot followed by a small explosion that echoed across the forest like thunder. He sighed.

"Never mind."

"Is that him?" Wren asked.

"Sounded like the Ace of Spades to me."

"It still sounds so far away."

"Lucky for us," Kiran said as loose rocks tumbled down the cliff. "Let's keep moving."

Wren climbed over a pile of boulders, boots slipping on the soft moss that had gathered on the older rocks at the bottom of the pile. The path on the other side was completely grown over. The only indication they were still on a trail at all was the absence of mature trees in the otherwise dense forest.

"We should update Zavala," Wren said.

"I'll patch him in. We're close to the coordinates anyway."

"Van you hear me, Guardian?" Zavala's voice crackled with interference and Wren stopped walking. Any farther and she might lose the signal.

"Yes, Commander. We're approaching the coordinates you gave us and I think we just head the Ace."

"I hope you're right. Warstead Peak is a decent place for evac. We'll start sending ships in every six hours until someone can pull you out, but the ships can only make one pass. You'll have to wait if you're too late. I can't risk losing more people to that range."

"I understand."

"Good. Now, Cayde would have found a way to mark his trail once he was in the darkness zone. It's up to you to find that trail. Stay safe out there, Guardian."

The signa went dead and Wren heard a snapping branch to her right, the heavy limb crashing to the forest floor. Not even a bird took flight and Wren couldn't tell what might have caused it.

There were no animals or shadows moving in the canopy. She rested her hand on the Better Devils and listened intently until Kiran spoke.

"Maybe it was the wind?" he offered quietly.

"What wind?"

"Let's go."

Wren took one last look before wading through knee high grass and the occasional scraggly scrub that had begun to overgrow the unused Sparrow trail.

"What's that?" Kiran asked. "Two o'clock. Is that sunlight?"

"Looks like it." Wren headed over to a large area off burned grass. Ashes lay thick at her feet, covering the ground in a carpet of gray. Chunks of trees had been blown apart and one tree had fallen completely, leaving a hole in the canopy above. Wren blinked from the light, using her hand to shield her eyes.

Eye level was a bullet hole in a tree, blood coating the splintered bark. Wren traced her finger over the hole, picking at the splinters.

"This might have been Cayde."

"This was a pretty intense explosion. Might have been the cause for those fresh boulders that were on the trail."

"Looks like someone ran up the hill," Wren said, spotting a place where the grass was bent lower than the rest. "It might have been him."

"Or it might have been an enemy."

Wren peered over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Kiran asked.

"I don't know. Just feel like I'm being watched. I can't shrug it off anymore. Something's out there."

"I'm not picking anything up on radar, but it could be the darkness keeping me from a clear reading."

"Or they're staying out of range on purpose."

"What if they're following us to find Cayde?"

Wren chewed her cheek, still scanning the trees for anything strange. "If they really wanted to find him, wouldn't they follow the same path we are? The explosion, the bent grass, it's obvious."

"Hey, what's that? I see something under that bush. Is that…" Kiran's voice trailed as Wren knelt to pick up what was unmistakably Cayde's right arm, still in its torn leather sleeve. Wires hung from the shredded, charred metal.

"Whoever did this waited until he was deep enough in the darkness zone to be unable to heal or call for help."

"We could be next," Kiran said.

"I think we need to find Cayde. If they are looking for him and using us to find him, they probably won't attack until we've succeeded."

So… we're going to lead whoever it is to an injured, one armed Cayde?"

"I'll gladly go with another plan." Wren said, lashing Cayde's arm to her hip.

"We'll, I'd gladly offer one if I had one."

"Up we go then," Wren said, heading farther up the steep hill until she was practically on her hands and knees, pulling herself up by trees and saplings until the forest thinned and she no longer had anything to hold onto but rocks.

The ground became rockier, grass scarcer until there wasn't thing at all. A few trees grew from cracks in the mountain, as if to prove their tenacity.

Wren stopped to catch her breath, which came in thick white clouds. The sun was lower in the sky than she expected, and the temperature was dropping. As long as she kept moving, she could stay warm but if she didn't find Cayde doon, she'd be forced to find shelter and build a fire to survive until morning. It would be embarrassing to freeze to death on a rescue mission and likewise, have to be rescued.

Gunfire rang out again, much closer than before. The cliffs to her right crumbled and boulders crashed down the slope, destroying trees as they ploughed through the forest. Wren knelt and watched, the ground beneath her shaking her off balance.

"Any closer and we'd be in trouble."

"Can you tell where the shots were coming from?" Wren asked, finally able to stand. "I can't tell with the echo."

"North East I think."

"You want me to climb?"

"I think you have to. See that split in the mountain? It came from that way."

Wren traversed the uneven slope, working her way slowly as pebbles caused her boots to slide. She kept a hand on the sheer wall of the cliff once she was at the top and unto go any farther up. The feeling of being watches never stopped, despite being far from the tree line.

She neared the crevasse and realized it was much deeper than she expected. The walls towered overhead on either side and the back was a wall with a split in it. The crack itself was wide enough for her to slip into, but not wide enough for someone Cayde's size.

Above was a rocky outcrop that she couldn't see over. Bodies of Dregs lay motionless in the narrow split, blood still fresh on one of them. The oldest looking body was half shoved in the crack near the rear of the crevice, it's blood deeper in color and dried.

"He was here." Wren nudged the fresh corpse with the toe of her boot, grimacing at what was left of the Dreg's head. Her stomach rolled and she thought she might vomit until Kiran drew her attention away.

"Look. There's a marking on that wall."

A white chalk picture was drawn a near a ledge, but Wren couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know. Is it an ocean? A lake maybe?" Kiran sighed.

"And what about that arrow?"

"Might be a symbol for the mountain peak? Is this Cayde's way of marking his location? It's terrible."

"This isn't helpful."

The skittering of rocks behind her caught her attention. She whipped around to see two Vandals at the entrance to the crevice, weapons trained on her.

Wren drew the Better Devils and took aim, but the Fallen spoke in rushed, aggressive tones.

"What are they saying?"

"My translation is shaky, but I think they're saying you're in their territory and … and well, they want Cayde."

One of the Vandals pointed to the dismembered arm that dangled from her belt, but she turned her hip to obstruct it from view.

"Tell them they can't have him."

Se, I could try, but there's a good chance my translation will be wrong, and they'll just shoot us."

"They'll do that anyway when they realize I'm not going to help them."

What do we do?"

The Vandals kept speaking, their voiced growing louder as they began to back Wren up into the crevice.

"What do we do?" Kiran repeated.

Wren's heart pounded, she readjusted her grip, eyes darting between the two of them. "I've been in worse positions than this. I've killed Swarm Princes."

"But not in a darkness zone."

"I'm going to have to take them both out."

"Just don't get killed."

When one of the Vandals pointed with all but one of its arms, Wren took a shot at the other Vandal, taking advantage of the pointing ones distraction. The bullet slammed into the second Vandal's shoulder and its body jerked back. She swung to shoot the first one when it opened fire on her. She ducked behind a rock outcrop when a thunderous boom from above echoed from the crevice walls.

Wren dropped and looked up to see Cayde, leaning out of a cave above. She peered around the rock to see one of the Vandals dead and the one she'd injured dropped as a bullet from the Ace split its head apart with an explosion.

"I had it handled," she said, dropping the Better Devils in its holster. Her face burned but at least no one else was around to see him helping her.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Zavala sent me after you."

"You're not wearing armor?"

"No. I was collecting Spinmetal. I just happened to be the closest Guardian. But I can go back and get them to send someone else…" she trailed off, heading back the way she came.

"No, no, there's no problem," He stammered. "You don't have to do that. I mean…. You came all this way."

Wren stopped beside the bodies of the Fallen, hand on her hip. She didn't think it would be so difficult to see him again, but she could breath a sigh of relief that he wasn't dead.

"Could I ask a teeny tiny favor?" he asked.

"Depends."

"Do you think you could… you know… dispose of those bodies for me? We're in Fallen territory and dead bodies might be a giveaway to our position."

Wren held her arms out. "And what about all this blood? Hm? Can't really hide that."

Cayde opened his mouth, then closed it. "Yeah, good point." He disappeared a moment, then poked his head out. "Sundance says we'll be getting snow tonight. It could cover up the evidence."

"Ok, but what am I going to do with four dead Fallen?"

"Pull them as far in as you can. I hid one there before… well, before I got stuck up here."

"Hid? It's half hanging out of the crack." Wren grabbed his dismembered arm and held it up, waving it at him. "Oh yeah, I think I have something of yours."

"Ah!" he slapped a rock. "Good! You found it. Great. Hide those bodies and get up here."

Cayde disappeared again and Wren rolled her eyes. She grabbed one of the Dreg's legs and pulled it to the back of the cevice. By the time all four of the Fallen were piled up, snow began to fall, creating dark splotches on the stone. Wren climbed the ledges until she reached the cave where Cayde was. A thick sheet of faux lichen covered the cave entrance from view. She pushed it aside to reveal a small cave, dimly lit by a lantern that hung a couple feet over Cayde's head. A small pile of wood, old and riddled with insects sat in a nook near the door. Wren grimaced and stepped away from it, moving to stand in the middle of the cave.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance. Kiran lit up the cave a little brighter, adding to the lantern and Sundance, who was sitting on Cayde's shoulder where the arm should have been connected. The joint looked to be in better shape than the arm and was free of wires or torn metal.

However, there was another problem. Wren's eyes dragged down Cayde's scorched and marred right side to see that his right leg below the knee was also missing. Her heart dropped but his face remained cheerful. Had he been human or Awoken, she might not have found him. He'd have died and she'd be searching for a body.

"Mind handing that over?" he asked, pointing to his arm. Wren removed it and gave it to him. His expression shifted. "I can't do anything with this right now. It'll have to wait till we get back to the Tower."

"Where's your leg?"

"No clue," he admitted setting the arm down beside him. "I guess you found where they ambushed me the first time. Got me with a rocket launcher."

"I saw the blast area, but no bodies. Just your arm."

"Hm. They must have taken the bodies somewhere else. Did you see the other spot?"

"No, I didn't see anything else."

He nodded slowly. "My leg might be back there, but I'm not worried about it. Well, except that it'll be hard to get out of here without it."

"I can go look for it." Wren turned to leave, but he called her back.

"No, really, it's fine. Don't go out in that."

Again lightning lit the sky, the light passing around the edges of the faux lichen as Wren's hand began to move it and she had to admit, as difficult as it was to be in the same room as him, being outside wasn't any more appealing.

"C'mon," Kiran whispered. "Talk to him."

Wren took a deep breath and went to sit down a few feet from Cayde. Kiran rested on her knee, staring at her intently. She did her best to ignore him, pulling off her blood-stained gloves and shoving them in her pocket. While she tried to think of what to say, she hadn't realized how long she'd sat in silence until Cayde cleared his throat.

"So… Zavala sent you out here?"

Wren nodded. "He said you'd been missing a couple days and might need help. Guess that was accurate."

"What's the plan?"

"Zavala is going to start sending ships every six hours until they can pull us out but we'll have to figure out how to get you up to the peak."

"I'm going to assume that since you don't have armor you also don't have any supplies?"

"For your information, I did bring enough food for a day, as well as extra ammo, flint, and some rope."

"Woah, tiger," Cayde said, holding his left hand up defensively. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Wren gritted her teeth, staring down at her boots, the same bitter feeling she had when he didn't show up welled to the surface. He seemed to sense it and after some silence he spoke, quietly, calmly.

"I'm sorry about what happened."

Kiran peeked up at Wren, then disappeared, Sundance following suit. The cave grew a little darker without them but at least she didn't have to feel like she was being watched.

"I had every intention of meeting you that night. But when I got back to the Tower, Ikora stopped me and gave me this mission. I had to get ready to leave and it's classified. I couldn't tell you where I was going."

"But you could have let me know you weren't coming. It's as easy as finding someone to go to the North Gate and saying, "Hey, sorry, Cayde said something came up and he can't meet you." Was that not an option? You were still around the next morning to—" Wren cut herself off. She'd turned her back on him. Ignored him. "If you didn't leave until after we did, why couldn't you have… I don't know."

"If I would have come to your room in the middle of the night there'd be rumors all over the Tower before Zavala'd have time for his first cup of coffee. I didn't think you'd want that."

If only he knew the Better Devils had already stirred those same rumors. Maybe it was for the best that he hadn't sent someone. That he hadn't popped up at her room in the middle of the night. It didn't make it hurt any less."

"Look, next time I'll handle it differently. If… if there is a next time?"

Wren shrugged. "We'll see."

"Will a bowl of ramen change your mind?"

"Maybe," she grinned.

"I don't guess you have any with you?"

"That's not exactly a food you pack in a bag for a mission."

"So, what do you have? I'm starving."

"I didn't think Exos needed to eat," she replied, fishing some bread and jerky from her bag.

"It's complicated. What isn't complicated, is your need for a fire. The problem is, I don't think it's safe to start a fire in here. There's no way for the smoke to escape and I'll tell ya, smoke inhalation is a terrible way to go." He tore chunk of bread from the half loaf she'd handed him. "But on the other hand, it'll only get colder tonight. If we're not careful, you'll freeze to death. Not that it's too big of a deal. I can bring you back. Sounds like a nasty way to go. They say when you get cold enough your body thinks you're hot and you start stripping down to your skivvies. Can you imagine that? You finally freeze to death 'cuz you thought you were burning up."

Wren stopped chewing her jerky to stare at him. Freeze to death? He spoke so casually about it, as if her becoming a Guardiancicle by morning was no big deal. Even if she did have a way to be revived, the death itself would be terrifying.

He glanced up at her and froze, jerky halfway to his mouth. "I can bring you back though."

It wasn't convincing. They ate the rest of their meal in silence, the storm raging outside. Her teeth had begun to chatter, and her fingers were numb. The cold crept into her bones, causing her skin to feel like it was pricked with needles.

"Are your gloves dry?" Cayde asked.

"No. They're soaked with blood from those Fallen you wanted me to hide."

"Here. Take mine."

"It's fine."

"Hey, it's just us here. No need to be prideful. I won't tell." He picked up his right arm and bit the index fingertip of the glove and pulled it free before doing the same with his left hand. He tossed the gloves her way and she hesitated before picking them up, muttering a thank you while she slipped them on.

They were far too big, but they were warm, which she hadn't expected. She leaned forward, away from the damp wall, tucking her hands under her arms.

"Sounds like a blizzard out there," Cayde whistled. "Hope we don't get snowed in."

Wren's stomach dropped. She hadn't thought about getting stuck. The food she'd brought wouldn't last another day and she didn't know if she would even survive the night.

"That'll really get people talking," she said flatly as she stood to check outside.

Snow was already piling up and the biting wind outside stung her face and eyes. She pulled the faux lichen back over the cave opening and retreated to the spot she'd come from. How would they manage to escape? More, how was she supposed to get him to the peak? She peered over at where his leg was supposed to be. And there was the issue of surviving the night.

"We should get some sleep," Cayde said. "That first ship should be going over in the next hour or so. We should rest for a few hours and try to catch the next one before the snow gets too deep,"

"I think we're too late for that."

"Maybe. We could try to scale the mountain now…" Cayde offered but a flash of lightning and a deafening boom of thunder cut him off. Once it faded, he chuckled nervously. "On the other hand, I don't mind the snow."

"I don't think I can sleep." Wren was trembling, partially from the cold, partially from the storm. Oddly enough it created a sense of tension and anxiety in her. Being stuck only made it worse.

"If you freeze I can bring you back."

"That isn't helping."

"Here," Cayde said, moving closer to the middle of the floor and laying on his left side and curling his good arm under his head. His back was to Wren and he looked over his shoulder at her. "Spoon me."

"Excuse me?"

"C'mon, spoon me."

"Uh… I don't—"

"You know, like two spoons in a drawer. All these moving parts in here are good for heat and I mean, cold won't kill me so… scooch on in here."

Wren stared at him, wide eyed, face burning hot. Was he suggesting she sleep next to him? Of course, he was, what else could be mean? Surely not…

"I won't tell. And you won't freeze. Win win!"

He sounded way too excited.

"You promise you won't tell?"

"I can pinkie promise if you want."

"I want to never talk about that again."

Cayde laughed. "We can arrange that."

Wren had started to crawl toward him when she paused. "In exchange for what?"

"That Sparrow ride."

His blue eyes glowed over his shoulder at her, searching her face for any sign of emotion. He'd find suspicion fading to a faint smile.

"Fine. And… this never leaves this cave," she said, laying behind him.

"You got it."

Wren kept her distance, laying a few inches away. She could smell the worn leather of his armor, the charred wires of his inured limbs, and various other scents he'd picked up from being in the Tower's hanger for too long. It wasn't altogether unpleasant, but it was strong.

"Closer," he said. "Being shy now'll get you killed."

"Don't remind me."

"C'mon."

Wren groaned but scoot closer, pressing against his back. He was much warmer than she expected, and goosebumps covered her skin. But it was much more than that. Her face flushed as she put her forehead between his shoulder blades.

"That wasn't hard was it? Grab my cloak and wrap up. There we go. We'll make sure you get through the night."

"Not a word of this to anyone or I swear—"

"Don't worry about it. Your secret's safe with me."


End file.
